Kidnapped Princess
by The Alice Killer - Storm
Summary: Matsuura Kanan is a thief. After getting caught one night, a mysterious man bails her out of jail. As a repayment, she is supposed to kidnap a princess. (Love Live! AU)
1. A Debt

It was a dark and moonless night. A small village sat silent as the night went on. No one seemed to be out. It was quiet. This town was too quiet.

"Help! Thief! Stop that thief!" Suddenly, a shout went up from a nearby house.

A figure dashed out of a building with a small sack around their waist. Another figure followed behind them with a weapon. The thief was far ahead. It seemed like they were going to get away. A new figure appeared out of nowhere and jumped the thief. They brought a dull weapon over their head, knocking them out.

The person who had been stolen from caught up, "Thank you. This is the third time she's stolen from me this month."

The other person shrugged, "It's nothing. She's stolen from me as well."

"Shall we go take her to the jail? I think it's about time she meets the end the rest of her family did." The first person grabbed the unconscious thief.

"Yeah. Let's go. I wonder how much they'll praise us, brother." The other person replied.

The two of them walked away toward the jail with the thief slung over one of their shoulders. The thief was caught.

…

A few hours later, the thief woke up. She groaned as she felt her head where she had been hit. She brushed her blue hair out of her face and took a look around. She gulped as she realized where she was. She was in the jail. She was done for now. They'd not hesitate to kill her just like they did to the rest of her family.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the might Kanan has fallen. I knew this day would come. I'll enjoy killing you just like your mother." A guard outside the thief's cell mocked.

Kanan was probably the only thief in the village. She had evaded getting caught for many years. To be caught now was bad. Her reputation as a very elusive thief was damaged drastically. She had gotten caught in such a simple way as well. She didn't go down with a fight.

Kanan's eyes widened as she realized who the guard was. He was the one who killed her mother. He killed her in the most gruesome way he could. Kanan was forced to watch her death. She stood up on shaky legs and walked toward the door.

"You…" Kanan growled.

The guard laughed as he watched Kanan glare at him. She was stuck behind the reinforced steel bars, unable to do anything but glare and speak. Kanan gripped the bars as her legs started giving out. She held herself up as she examined her body. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her. Nothing noticeable was off.

"Feeling the numbness yet? We made sure you couldn't escape like before. Soon your legs will fail to work." The guard taunted as he watched Kanan struggle to stay standing, "You'll get feeling again in a few hours. But you'll be dead by then. It'll only be an hour until your end. I bet you'll love to know you don't need to predict what'll happen. I'll do what I did to you mother."

Kanan let out a growl, before she collapsed onto her butt. She yelped in pain. Kanan tried to no avail to stand up again. Her legs were numb and unresponsive. She felt pathetic. To be taken down so easily was hard to come to terms with.

The guard opened his mouth to taunt her again, when the door leading to the outside opened up. Another guard walked in followed by a man.

"He paid her bail. Let her go." The new guard requested as he handed over a paper.

The first guard glared at the man, "You are going to let her go? After all the stuff she's done? Are you insane?"

The man just nodded with a hard, cold gaze. The guard sighed as he unlocked the door to Kanan's cell. The man walked over and helped Kanan up. He let her ride on his back as he walked out of the room, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Why are you helping me?" Kanan asked him after they were away from the jail, "Once word gets out, everyone will hate you for this.

"I find you to be of use. You're a very impressive thief. You're in my debt now. I have something I need of you." He replied.

"What is it?" Kanan asked. She knew whatever it was was not going to be something she would enjoy.

"I assume you are aware of the Ohara family. You know how awful they treat their citizens. Well, I want the princess. Kidnap her for me or I'll have your head." The man said with a sly smile.

"What do you want the princess for? Ransom? Making a deal?" Kanan was confused by his intentions.

"I want to sell her. She'd fetch a high price on the slave market." The man laughed darkly, "Her family can suffer for all they've done that way. The Queen is no longer able to bear children. She is their only one. Taking her away will destroy them."

Kanan gulped as she nodded, "Alright. I'll do as you want."

"Good. Tomorrow night, you leave." The man stated, "Who knows how long she'll remain in the palace for."

Kanan gulped as the man placed her into a small horse-drawn carriage. He got up front and started driving. Kanan sighed as she realized what she was about to do. She was about to commit one of the worst acts anyone ever could.

She was going to kidnap a princess.

…

"I know you'll need more information on the princess. Ask away. I have a spy who has given me a lot of information on her." The man said as he and Kanan sat at a table.

"What's her schedule?" Kanan asked.

"She spends most of her time in her room. Only when she is summoned to eat or attend court, does she leave."

"Guards?"

"None in her room. There's occasionally one outside, but not all the time."

"What way do you think would be the best to take her down?" Kanan asked. She wasn't coming up with any good ideas of her own.

"Well, you can do quite a few things. I'm sure slipping something into her food wouldn't be that hard for someone as sneaky as you. Or you could do a simple whack over the head. Maybe drug her? Cloth over her face? It's your choice." The man replied in a thoughtful manner, "Just don't get caught and don't permanently harm her."

"Alright. Where is her room at?" Kanan debates about what way would be best.

"Far left window on the east side. The one with the ledge."

"Who do you think will aid them the fastest once they discover her gone?" Kanan worried about that one.

"Most likely the Diamond kingdom. The Shining kingdom and them have a very big deal going on about who that girl will marry. Soon they'd be one kingdom if things went to plan." The man smirked.

"I see. I'll set out tomorrow night then." Kanan replied, "I don't know how long I'll be getting her back."

"Send messages as you can." The man stated.

…

Once Kanan got feeling back in her legs, she decided to go and sit outside of the house. She was enjoying the warm sun on her skin. She was startled by rustling nearby. Kanan looked around and noticed a bush shaking.

"Kanan! There you are!"

A wolf and a cat burst out of the bush and tackled Kanan. They licked her face and nuzzled her. Kanan laughed as she tried to push them off.

"Hey, hey, chill. I'm okay." Kanan managed to get them off of her.

"What happened to you? We were so worried! Even Maru and Yohane had no clue what happened to you!" The wolf nuzzled her muzzle into Kanan's hair.

"I got caught stealing some bread. This man that lives here paid my bail. But, as repayment, he wants me to kidnap the Ohara princess." Kanan sighed as she scratched the wolf's neck.

"That's a deathwish. You should just run away." The cat stated as she rubbed her body against one of Kanan's legs.

"I can't, Chika. Where will I go that he won't find me?" Kanan replied, "He's going to have my head if I don't do this."

"I'll kill him for you." The wolf offered.

"No, Yō, that's something I won't approve of. The townsfolk around know you're the only wolf here. The wound will be so easy to distinguish as yours. Then even more people will be after my head." Kanan quickly shot down that idea.

Yō and Chika were Kanan's friends. They might not be human, but that didn't mean anything. Yō had saved Kanan from a wild bear. She had suffered severe injuries during that and Kanan brought her to be healed. Hanamaru did so, but ended up transferring a small bit of magic into Yō. Yō could suddenly talk after that. She vowed to keep Kanan safe from any animal that wanted to harm her as a thanks.

Chika was a different story. She had been abandoned by her family. Some kids had started to pick on her. Chika was nearly killed by them when Kanan stepped in. She chased the kids away and brought Chika back to be healed as well. This time, Yohane was the one who did so. Chika also got some magic and was able to talk. Because of them getting magic, they now have telepathic connections with who they share the magic with.

"What if you asked Yohane to cast a spell on him so he'd forget you." Chika offered as her idea.

"You know she doesn't do stuff like that. She only does spells on willing people." Kanan reminded her.

Chika huffed, "Maybe she'd do it for you. After all, she kinda owes you her life."

…

_*2 years ago*_

_A distressed girl walked through the streets of a village. She was wearing torn and dirty clothing. A hood covered her face. She walked around, going from person to person and asking them for food. No one wanted to help her. No one trusted her at all. She was cursed at constantly._

_The girl sat in a dark alleyway to get away from the curses. She was so tired. She knew if she fell asleep, it would be the end. She was scared. No longer would she have to live in this world, but she didn't think that was that enticing. She would never get to be the person she wanted to be. All because she was abandoned by her foster family. They left her to die._

_Just as the girl was going to let sleep win, she felt someone gently tap her shoulder, "Are you alright?"_

_"F-food…" The girl whispered back weakly, "Please…"_

_She was picked up off the ground by the stranger. She was carried away from the alley and into the woods. She was afraid. Who was this person? Did they plan to kill her? Or wait till she died and then sell her organs for money?_

_"Stay with me. Don't fall asleep. I have someone who can help you." The person urged._

_The girl weakly nodded and did her best to fight the sleepiness away. The person kept walking and talking to her. It wasn't long before they came to a little house. Her savior knocked on the door. A tan-haired girl answered it._

_"I found this girl in an alley. Can you help her?"_

_"Of course. Please bring her inside, zura."_

_The girl tried her best to look around as she was laid on a bed. She was too tired to move much. She managed to get a look at her savior._

_"Hi. My name's Kanan. That's Hanamaru. I promise we're going to help you." Her savior said._

_"Y-Yohane…" The girl weakly mumbled._

_"I'm gonna sit you up, alright?" Kanan eased Yohane into a sitting position._

_Hanamaru came back with a small bottle of water, "Drink."_

_She held it to Yohane's lips and aided her in drinking it. Yohane was grateful that these two actually were helping her. She had assumed the worst._

_"I don't have any food. I don't need it, after all. But, I cannot leave until night to get anything. I'm a pure born witch, if you're wondering. If the town finds me, I will be burned." Hanamaru said._

_"I have a little bit of food. I stole from a farmer's field earlier." Kanan stated as she opened her satchel and pulled out a peach, "This is all I have, though."_

_Yohane perked up at the sight. She hadn't eaten in so long. Kanan seemed to notice. She gave Yohane a warm smile as she left the room._

_"What're you doing?" Hanamaru asked._

_"Cutting it up. She's too weak to eat it whole." Kanan replied from a different room._

_Hanamaru started examining Yohane for any wounds while they waited. The few she found weren't enough to worry about. She saw nothing that needed attention. But, Yohane did need new clothes._

_"I'll get you some clothes to wear." Hanamaru stated as she dug through a chest in the room._

_Kanan came back with the peach cut up on a plate. She set it on Yohane's lap. Yohane looked at Kanan with a shy, but begging look. Kanan understood the message and picked up the slices one by one and fed them to Yohane. Once she was done, Hanamaru took over and dressed Yohane into some better clothing._

_"Get some rest. We'll be here when you wake up. Well, Kanan might not. She might be out stealing stuff again." Hanamaru told Yohane._

…

"Even if I saved her life, do you think she would owe me? I've already done a lot for her. I've been the test subject of her potions and spells." Kanan said.

"She cares about you. You know how much she's done for you to keep you safe. I think she'd do anything that would ensure you wouldn't die." Yō stated.

"I'll do this job. I would love to make her suffer for all the pain she lets go on in the cities." Kanan replied.

"Alright. You know where to find us. We need to go now." Chika nodded.

"Telepathy working yet?" Kanan asked.

"Barely. You might manage to contact Maru or Yohane, but not us." Chika replied, "They haven't found a charm that gives us enough magic to spread it to you."

"Okay. Well, see you guys. I got a job to do." Kanan bid them farewell.

She was still in shock over what had occurred. She was going to be kidnapping a princess. A crime that would result in her being killed on the spot if she was found. Kanan didn't want to die. She promised her family she'd live on for them all. She couldn't let herself die now.

Kanan stood up and decided it was time to head back inside. She had a lot of work to do if this was going to succeed. Kanan did not want her end to be by the Queen. She wanted to die in a more honorable way. She couldn't let this fail.

Failing wasn't something Kanan did and she sure wasn't about to start now.


	2. Kidnapped

As night set the next day, Kanan was heading out the door. She had provisions the man had given her in a sack. She loaded it onto a carriage. She was really doing it. She was going to try and kidnap a princess. Kanan had spent the rest of her time pondering the many ways she might do her plan. She felt like she had a good one down.

Kanan examined the carriage to make sure it wasn't damaged. She might have spare parts, but only one of each thing. A damaged carriage would halt the entire operation. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anything was damaged. Kanan checked the horses and made sure they were ready to set off. After she was confident everything was working the way it should be, Kanan got up front and started driving the horses away.

The road leading out was very rough. Kanan had no idea how to navigate it. Thankfully, the horses seemed to know exactly where to trod so they wouldn't trip. Kanan was on edge the entire trip out of the woods and onto the actual roads. She was afraid something would break already.

The travel would take ages. Kanan was not happy about that at all. She was at least glad she would be fed. He had given her enough money to buy food for herself as long as she rationed it. Kanan wasn't planning on letting the princess get much. She was going to get the scraps and that was it.

…

After a grueling month of travel, Kanan finally arrived at the Shining kingdom. She came as night was falling. Kanan would've loved to sleep, but decided she should go about her plan now. Kanan snuck quietly down the streets, making sure to not draw any attention to her. The items on her would get her arrested. The kingdom was very picky about what people could own in their villages. Anyone who had something not approved would be jailed and tried as plotting against the royal family. It was a very extreme punishment, but no one argued.

Of course no one argued. If they did, they'd also be accused of the exact same crime. The Queen had no issue killing anyone who defies her in the smallest ways. She set in place such extreme rules. But, no one can really afford to leave with how much they have to pay in taxes. It was a losing situation for the citizens no matter what. Anyone that tried to flee without proper permission was also hunted down and killed on the spot with no mercy. It was a cruel land to live in. Kanan was glad this wasn't her home anymore.

Kanan managed to get to the castle without much issue. She easily snuck past the guards and to the east side. She saw the window that held the princess' room. Kanan smirked as she realized that anyone with a bit of climbing experience could scale the wall with ease. She got to work clambering up the side of the castle under the cover of darkness. There were small cracks and crevices in the wall that made very good grips. Kanan had no issue getting her footing on the wall.

She was very concerned by the lack of thought. Anyone could easily get up the castle and do some damage. It wouldn't be that hard to climb up, light something ablaze, and then climb back down and run away. Kanan wondered why the castle wouldn't be prepared for something like that. Not that she really cared. She was thankful it was so easy to get to the princess.

Kanan soon made it to the window. It was open completely. She sat on the ledge and watched the princess as she worked on something at a desk nearby. Kanan felt hatred growing in her heart as she stared. The room was really nice and fancy. That was something Kanan hated to see. She had so much stuff while some people in the kingdom had nothing. Kanan debated if she should also trash the place or steal something. She decided against it. She was hoping that she could take the princess and have the knights think that the princess left on her own.

Soon enough, the princess turned around and noticed Kanan watching her. She stared at her for a few minutes with a confused look. Kanan was ready to jump at her if she called for a guard.

"Hello? Um, how'd you get up here?" She asked Kanan as she hesitantly approached.

"Climbed up." Kanan replied.

"What do you want? If it's a message, I'm not allowed to get them. They have to go through my parents first." The princess stated, "They said it's for safety reasons."

"I'm not here for that. Tell me, what's your name? I don't believe anyone in this kingdom knows beside your staff and parents." Kanan kept up the small talk as she stepped inside the room.

"Mari." The princess replied, "What exactly are you here for?"

"I'm just doing a favor for a friend." Kanan said.

"Is it about him? I swear I've told him I won't marry him at least 10 times." Mari growled as she huffed in annoyance.

"No. Not him." Kanan reassured her, "I'm impressed anyone is still trying. After all, aren't you set to marry a prince adopted by the Diamond kingdom?"

"It's not in stone. Things could change." Mari sighed.

"You don't want to marry him?" Kanan guessed as she walked close to Mari.

"My love is forbidden." Mari groaned, "Why couldn't I have a sibling? My friend gets to date girls since she has a sister who seems to be straight. I'm jealous."

"Well, don't worry. I'll make sure you don't have to marry him." Kanan whispered in Mari's ear.

"What do you-" Mari was cut off as Kanan shoved a cloth over her face.

Mari let out a scream as she fought against Kanan. Kanan wrapped her free arm tightly around Mari's waist and held her still. Mari kept fighting against Kanan's grip, but was ultimately losing. Soon, she fell limply into Kanan. Kanan sighed in relief as she carefully picked Mari up. Task one was complete. It had been a lot easier than she had thought it would be.

Now, how was she getting out? She knew there was no way she could climb down the castle walls with an unconscious person in tow. They'd both fall to their deaths in no time. Kanan figured there had to be a secret escape route hidden in the room. If a riot were to happen, she'd need a way to get out safely.

She was correct. Kanan found it hidden behind a dresser. She set Mari down inside the passage and covered the entrance again. She wanted no trace of her anywhere nearby. Kanan picked Mari up again and headed out. She grabbed her jacket and covered Mari with it so no one would recognize her. Kanan wondered if the citizens would even recognize her.

Kanan made it back to the carriage without anyone batting an eye. She just laughed at those who stared at her and said that Mari was her drunken friend. They all believed her without a doubt.

Kanan tied Mari up and gagged her. She left her in the back of the carriage and set off to find a place to hide out for the night. She needed rest and a carriage traveling at night was suspicious.

…

When Kanan woke the next morning, she went immediately to see if Mari was awake. She was. Mari stared at Kanan as she entered the back of the carriage.

"Sleep well, princess? Judging from the bags under your eyes, I'd say that that is probably the best sleep you've had in a while." Kanan taunted as she moved closer, "So naive, aren't we? You let a stranger in without any worry. You're lucky I didn't want to rape you or kill you. I bet I would've been able to do almost anything I wanted and no one would've stopped me."

Mari growled against her gag as she glared at Kanan. Kanan laughed at her and removed the gag.

"What are you planning to do with me?" Mari asked.

"Like I said, I'm doing this as a favor for someone. I'm planning nothing of my own." Kanan stated.

"Fine then. What is your friend planning to do to me?"

"Sell you into slavery. According to him, you'd go for a high price."

Mari fell silent. She stared at Kanan with wide eyes. Those eyes held so much fear. Kanan felt a pain in her heart as she looked at her.

"Don't expect sympathy from me. You're a horrible princess. Letting your people starve because you don't care enough is too cruel." Kanan quickly lost that feeling.

"W-what? But, mom said everyone… they… she…" Mari was at a loss for words at the accusation.

"Spit it out." Kanan growled.

"Mom lied? She… she said everyone was happy and cared for… why did she lie?" Mari asked quietly as she gazed at the floor with a betrayed and sorrowful look.

Kanan felt that sympathy building again. Had the princess not known? But, she was a princess. She had to know. But, her mom lied to her. Maybe she didn't know? Kanan couldn't decide what she should believe. She didn't know if Mari was just trying to get sympathy so she could slip away.

"You didn't know?" Kanan asked, her stance softening a little.

"Mom and dad refuse to let me outside the castle… I have to rely on their word for how everything is going." Mari replied, "I didn't realize they were doing that…"

"It doesn't matter. You're with me now. I'm not letting you go." Kanan growled as she replaced the gag and then moved to leave, "You'll report me… and I refuse to be killed."

Mari sighed as Kanan left. She was stuck as Kanan's prisoner. Kanan climbed up and started driving the horses onward. They had a long journey ahead of them. Kanan was not looking forward to it. She had just come here and now she was going all the way back. And now she had to worry about keeping the princess hidden from sight. She couldn't risk anyone finding her.

"By the way, Princess. I can easily hear you from here. I'll know if you try anything. I won't hesitate to knock you out again." Kanan warned, "Do not try me."

Kanan was afraid, as much as she hated to admit it. She knew what fate awaited her if she was caught. She would be killed. Kanan didn't want that at all. She knew there was no way to plead. She was guilty. This mission could be the last thing she ever does.


	3. Close Call

Kanan was growing to have a like-hate relationship with the princess. She'd seem so innocent and pure, but then Kanan would think back to what she had endured by the kingdom's hands and start hating her again. Even if Mari wasn't entirely responsible, she still hated her. She was part of the continuing problem. She hadn't stopped it yet.

Then Kanan would feel sorry for her again. She couldn't stop the problem if what she said was true. Kanan didn't know if it was true. That was the main issue. She was conflicted. Maybe Mari truly had no control and wasn't to blame. Kanan wished she could get an answer that was able to be proven. But, the only way to get that would be to get the queen to talk. There was no hope in that, so she had no idea if what Mari said was true.

Kanan hated this a lot. She was having trouble focusing on her task. She wanted to get the information out about what Mari did. But, Mari continued to say she had no control over anything. Kanan was slowly starting to lose it. She had no clue what she should do anymore.

"Nee, Kanan… I feel like I'm gonna vomit." Mari whined from the back of the carriage, "Why'd you have to take this road."

"I do to. There's a bucket there if you must throw up. The road smooths out in a bit." Kanan replied, feeling the same agony, "The backroads are safer. Less people to see us and risk finding you."

She was forced to take the backroads to avoid too much detection. These roads were, in simple terms, shit. No one cared enough about them to properly maintain them. And now they both felt sick from being shaken violently by the bumps of the road. Only the horses had no problems from it. They were experts at navigating roads just like this one.

They managed to get to a better area of the road without any problems. Kanan pulled the horses over to take a small break. She needed to recover from that before she could continue. Kanan hopped off her seat and went to see how Mari was faring. She needed her to be in a favorable condition for the man. If she wasn't good enough for him, Kanan could only imagine how much he would do to her. That thought made her shiver. She couldn't help but fear he wouldn't take her head for her mistake. She feared he'd try and sell her instead.

Mari was curled up under a blanket that Kanan had placed over her. Part of the reason was to keep her warm and the other was to keep her hidden incase anyone checked the back. Kanan had redone the ropes around Mari and they now were attached to the carriage and her body. Mari had a bit more room to move around, but still not that much. Kanan still didn't trust her. Kanan pulled the blanket off of her so she could talk to her.

"How much longer till we get there?" Mari asked quietly, "I hate traveling already…"

"Still about almost a month. It's only been three days." Kanan sighed.

Mari acted so childish like this a lot. She'd seem like she had no idea about anything that Kanan told her about the outside world. Kanan couldn't help but start to believe that Mari wasn't actually lying about never going outside. The questions she asked sometimes were too stupid for anyone to think of if they knew the answer.

"Kanan? Why are you helping him?" Mari asked as she sat up, "It's become clear to me that he isn't a friend."

Kanan looked away, "Why should I tell you that?"

"Don't I deserve to know?" Mari challenged.

Kanan answered that with a slap. Mari yelped as she curled away. Kanan glared at Mari.

"You don't get to talk to me like that. I can harm you as long as it isn't permanent. Don't get cocky with me." Kanan warned.

"Can't I know anything about you?" Mari asked in a quieter tone, "You don't seem like the kind of person who would do something like this."

"I have my reasons." Kanan stated.

"Secret reasons?" Mari questioned.

Kanan sighed, "I'm in his debt. I have no say in this matter. He'd kill me if I refused."

"Why are you in his debt?" Mari slowly moved closer with a curious spark in her eyes.

"Does it matter?" Kanan didn't want to talk about those things. Especially not to Mari. She would never understand what Kanan had gone through. She was sheltered.

"I want to know." Mari stated.

Kanan sighed as she sat beside Mari. It wasn't like she had anything better to do.

"I'm a thief." Kanan said.

"Yeah… you are." Mari gave her a 'no duh' look.

"I mean, I've been a thief pretty much my entire life. My family was poor. We could never afford much, so we had to steal to survive." Kanan replied.

"And where is your family now?"

Kanan looked down at the ground, "They've all died… murdered for their thieving… I'm the last one."

"Does this have anything to do with your hatred for my kingdom?" Mari asked.

Kanan nodded.

…

_*9 years ago*_

_"I'm here by orders of Queen Ohara. She has issued an eviction of your residence."_

_"Why? Will we be relocated? Compensated?" Kanan's mother asked as she faced the messenger._

_"No, ma'am. You are to leave and find somewhere yourself. The kingdom has no wish to aid those who refuse to pay their taxes." The messenger replied._

_"We give all we have. Please?"_

_"You have two days. After that, we will come in and kill all who remain." The messenger left after that._

_Kanan's mom broke down into tears. Kanan frowned as she ran over to hug her._

_"Oh, sweetie… what will we do…?"_

_"We can find a place to live." Kanan reassured her mom._

_Her mom shook her head, "No, Kanan. Not in this kingdom. We can't buy a house because we haven't paid all of our taxes."_

_"Then what will we do?" Kanan asked._

_"We're going to move. I think the Sea kingdom might be kinder to us."_

_"Okay. Should I tell everyone else?"_

_"Yes, dear. Go ahead."_

_The Sea kingdom didn't treat them any kinder. They were scorned for being thieves. So, they continued to be thieves since they couldn't support themselves. The cycle continued until the kingdom started cracking down on such people._

…

After Kanan finished recounting what had happened, she looked up at Mari. Mari was staring at her with a shocked look. She soon snapped out of it and gave Kanan a sorrowful look instead.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine how much you would hate royalty for that. But, I promise I'm not like them. If you give me a chance, I can change the kingdom." Mari said.

Kanan scoffed at her, "Lies. Royalty always lies. Why should I believe you?"

"You don't have to. I'll prove it to you." Mari stated.

"Good luck with that." Kanan growled and pulled the blanket over Mari to keep her hidden and then she left the carriage, "We're moving again."

Kanan sighed as she steered the horses again. Mari was getting to her. There was just something about her. Kanan had no idea what it was. She was starting to regret agreeing to this job.

…

A few hours later, Kanan came to a traffic stop. She gulped as she pulled up. She knew they would be looking for Mari. Three days was more than enough time for word to spread throughout a lot of kingdoms. Kanan prayed Mari would stay quiet and not know what's going on. Kanan realized this was most likely the end. Mari would make noise when they searched and they would find her.

"Hello, sir. Not normally any checks on the backroads. Did something happen?" Kanan played dumb so they would not suspect her as much.

"The Ohara princess has gone missing. They believe it was a kidnapping. We have to check everyone." The guard replied, "Mind if I take a look."

"It's not like I have a choice." Kanan replied as she got off the seat, "Go ahead."

"Someone knows the rules. I've arrested three people for noncompliance already." The guard sighed as he started inspecting the exterior of the carriage.

Kanan held herself completely still as she watched him get closer to the back. She was considering running. Kanan held herself together. If he found Mari, she would run. If not, well, that was good.

The guard made it to the back of the carriage, "Let's see what we have in here."

Kanan held her breath as she watched the guard sift through the back of the carriage. One simple noise could ruin everything. Kanan started sweating as he neared the blanket Mari was under. Kanan was surprised that Mari hadn't called out yet. Maybe she was asleep? Kanan could only hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could play dumb and say she had no idea how Mari ended up there.

The guard reached the blanket. He pulled it off. Kanan gulped as she waited for the announcement. Instead of him screaming, there was a cry of panic and then a thud. Kanan hesitantly climbed into the back to see what had happened.

Mari was sitting up, the ropes binding her no longer. They were discarded on the side. In front of her, the guard lay on the floor. A pool of blood was seeping out of him. Kanan noticed Mari held a small knife in her hand.

"Princess?" Kanan hesitantly called.

Mari looked at Kanan, "Know how to hide a body?"

Kanan nodded and slowly got closer, "Why did you do that?"

"He was mumbling under his breath. I could hear what he was saying. He was going to plant evidence if I wasn't here so he could get you arrested. He… he does things to girls… I was worried he'd do that to you and me as well…" Mari explained, "You left this knife near me. I easily reached it."

"Come on. Let's get rid of him before anyone else finds us." Kanan sighed.

The two of them wrapped him in a cloth and then tossed him on the side of the road. They didn't really care to hide him. No one would ever assume that the princess had killed him. Kanan started driving again, wanting to get away from the evidence. Mari sat in the back and cleaned the blood off.

Kanan was half expecting Mari to run. Mari didn't. She sat there quietly as they moved. Kanan was surprised. She wasn't restrained anymore. She had the ability to leave and yet she wasn't.

As night fell, Kanan pulled over into cover. She hopped down and went into the back. Mari smiled at her. Kanan was very confused.

"Hey, come with me." Kanan grabbed Mari by her wrist and tugged her outside.

Mari stumbled after her as Kanan walked through the forest. They came to a clearing. Kanan sat down by a cliff that was next to them. Mari hesitated, before she sat down as well.

"I stopped here on the way up. It's a pretty nice view. You can see the sky well from here." Kanan said.

"Why are you showing me this?" Mari asked.

Kanan sighed, "I want to know why you haven't run."

"Where will I go? I know nothing about this place." Mari replied.

"What? But this is still your kingdom." Kanan started at her in disbelief.

"I told you before, I've never been outside the palace." Mari reminded Kanan.

"I didn't believe you. You really never got to see your own land before?" Kanan asked.

"Mom has this thing with me. She wants me married off and out of her life. She wants control." Mari stated, "I'm not set up to rule this kingdom when I'm older."

"Man…" Kanan sighed.

"Nee, Kanan? Can I ask one favor?" Mari asked.

"I guess. No guarantee I can fulfill it." Kanan said.

"Can you take me to see a town? I wanna see what one looks like." Mari requested.

"I guess." Kanan replied, "You'll have to wear a hood. I can't risk them seeing you. In fact, why don't we get you some traveling clothes? Staying in a dress all this time probably isn't the most comfortable."

"Alright." Mari smiled.

Kanan felt her heart pounding again. She didn't want to give Mari to that guy anymore. She was starting to realize that Mari wasn't the one she should be hating. She had nothing to do with any of it. Kanan didn't know what she would do. She had to give her up. She made a promise to.

Mari yawned as she leaned closer to Kanan, "This is the first time I've ever been in a forest."

"I'm sure it won't be your last." Kanan said.

They spoke for a while, before Kanan stood up. Mari followed her lead. They went back to carriage and laid down in it. Mari was asleep pretty soon. Kanan had a tougher time. She was unsure how she was going to deal with the promise. She really didn't want to give Mari away.


	4. Despairing Town

When morning came, Kanan let Mari sleep in the back instead of waking her. She laid out some clothes that she brought as spares. They'd reach the Diamond kingdom today. But, there was one more Shining town on the way. Kanan was going to take Mari on a tour of it. It was the least she could do for her.

Unfortunately, Mari would have to disguise herself. Kanan didn't know if anyone would recognize her. She didn't want to take any chances. If there were any guards around, they were in for it. Kanan did not want to get caught.

Kanan had decided in the night that she wasn't giving Mari away. Mari didn't deserve a fate like that. She was just an innocent girl caught in a horrid situation. Kanan couldn't find any hate left for her. Mari didn't do anything wrong. She had no idea what was happening in her kingdom because her mother was a horrid ruler.

Kanan never thought she'd do that. She had always thought of royalty as the worst scum of the earth. And now she was going to be helping one. Kanan knew if it had been any other princess, she wouldn't have ever hesitated to give them up. But, Mari was a completely different story. There was just something about her that Kanan couldn't ignore. She couldn't bear to give her away.

Kanan started the horses again after feeding them some hay. They traveled silently for a while. Mari was asleep, so Kanan and her wouldn't be able to talk. Kanan didn't like talking to the horses that much. It distracted them when she did. It took a few hours of travel before they reached the town. Kanan hid the carriage in the bushes and went to fetch Mari from the back. Mari was sitting there in the clothes Kanan had left her.

"Come on. I'll show you around this town." Kanan held out her hand, "It's the last one around for a while."

Mari took Kanan's hand and allowed her to lead her into the town. Mari gasped in shock as she saw it. The town was very badly kept. There was dirt and mud everywhere. The houses looked horrible. Some looked like they were ready to fall down at any moment. The people around the town looked malnourished and dirty. There didn't appear to be any water around this place.

Mari looked at Kanan and frowned. This was not what she had been expecting. She had been expecting a town like the ones she had read in books. This was nothing like that. Mari couldn't believe this was reality. She felt disgusted by the fact that her parents were the ones doing this. Mari couldn't believe how cruel they truly were. She had thought they were the nicest and kindest people ever. It was hard for her to come to terms with the fact that they weren't.

"Is this really how they're treated?" Mari asked quietly as they cautiously eyes the citizens of the town.

Kanan nodded, "Yeah. Towns like this are treated like shit if they can't pay up their taxes."

"Oh…" Mari sighed.

A child started crying from nearby. They turned and saw a kid with a bleeding leg. No one was helping them. The people just glanced their way and kept on moving. No one cared enough to help. They all only cared about themselves and their families. Mari rushed over to them and started trying to help. Kanan pulled out a small kit of bandages from her pocket and handed them to Mari. Mari started wrapping up the wound.

While Mari was doing that, Kanan decided she would try to use telepathy. She thought about who she wanted to contact and tried her best. She needed help now that she wasn't going to be doing her job.

_"Hey."_

_"Kanan? What is it? Are you okay?" Yohane's voice came through._

_"I'm fine. I was just wondering if you could do me a favor." Kanan thought back._

_"Is this about that man? Couldn't get the princess? I'm not surprised. She's probably really well guarded." Yohane asked._

_"Oh, no. I got the princess. She was an easy catch. I just don't want to give her to him anymore. She isn't someone to hate, actually. Her mom has shielded her from everything she's been doing. The princess is innocent. I know that's hard to believe, but it's the truth." Kanan replied._

_"What are you planning to do with the princess then? You can't just return her. You'll be arrested. I'll do as you ask with the guy. He's a dick who deserves it."_

_"I'm gonna take her to explore the world. This is the first time she's ever been outside the palace. Her mom is a bitch. I don't want her to have to suffer under her mother's rule any longer."_

_"You're insane, Kanan. You are always so insane in your ideas. Stay safe, please. Have fun. Talk to us whenever you can. I need to go. I'm… busy."_

The connection cut off after that. Kanan looked back at Mari. She had finished wrapping the kid's wound. The kid thanked her and then ran off into a house. Mari handed the kit back to Kanan. Kanan put it back in her pocket. She was amazed by the fact that Mari had done that. Kanan was starting to really realize that Mari wasn't a bad person.

"Let's get some food if we can." Kanan said, "I'm running low in the storage."

They walked around the town and looked for anyone selling food. They found one person. The old man running the shop was filled with joy when they bought some of his food. He didn't get many customers. Kanan gave him a little extra money than what was asked and told him it was a gift.

"Come on, we should get going." Kanan stated as they walked away.

Mari nodded and followed Kanan out of the town. They got back to the carriage. They sat on the back rim and talked for a bit. They weren't too excited to get back on the road again. All they've been doing is traveling. It was a very tedious thing to do. It wasn't entertaining at all. Kanan had to always be on high alert and Mari was stuck in the back unable to see what was outside.

"We'll be in the Diamond kingdom by nightfall." Kanan said, "Mari, I want to know something."

"What is it?"

"Do you wanna explore the world? I'm not turning you over to that guy." Kanan said.

"Yes! I want to see the world!" Mari smiled.

"Alright then. I'll take you to see the world." Kanan promised.

They talked for a while longer, before Kanan decided they best get moving again. Mari sat in the back as always. It was still too risky to let her in sight. If someone looked long enough they would know it was Mari. Kanan couldn't risk that. She would still be killed for what she did. Even if Mari did defend her, it wouldn't do much. This was a serious crime she had committed. There was no hope left for her if she was caught.

…

They only stopped again when it was night. Kanan hopped down and after making sure the horses were settled, went to go see Mari. Kanan pulled Mari out of the back and stated she wanted to sleep outside tonight. Mari agreed and they set up a small blanket on the ground to sleep on. They laid down on it and stargazed for a while. Kanan started to teach Mari what the different constellations were.

Kanan may have been poor, but she got an education. Sure, it was from her family, but it helped her out a lot. Kanan had been able to read and write while most kids her age couldn't. Hanamaru had taken it upon herself to teach Kanan more when they had met.

Mari seemed to be happy with what her life had become. Being a princess wasn't really something she enjoyed. She'd rather be free to do as she wanted. Kanan gave her that opportunity. She couldn't be happier. She finally could be who she always wanted to be.

Kanan smiled as Mari and her continued to point out the stars. It was nice to have someone that liked her. Kanan never thought she'd make anymore human friends after Hanamaru and Yohane. Kanan decided to throw the idea that Mari was a princess away. Mari was just a normal girl like her. The title meant nothing. She didn't cut it for a princess anyway. Mari, in normal times, would've been exiled for being so bad. But, that didn't happen.

"I'm glad I got to meet you. Even if the circumstances weren't the best." Mari said as she looked at Kanan.

Kanan returned her gaze, "Yeah. I'm glad I got to meet you too. You've shown me that royalty isn't always bad. Sometimes they're just normal people like everyone else."

Mari smiled as she moved closer to Kanan's side. Kanan smiled back as she moved her body so they were touching. Mari didn't make anymore moves after that. Kanan didn't either. Their relationship was still a weird one. Making a big move on someone like that would probably just damage their relationship.

Kanan was excited at the idea of Mari and her becoming close friends. She even considered the fact that they might become more. After all, Mari had said her love was forbidden. That meant that she was gay. And Kanan was no different. They made a good pair. They both had similar problems like that. They could bond over it.

They were starting to doze off when some bushes started rustling in an abnormal pattern. While it was a little windy, the bushes were moving erratically and in the opposite direction. Kanan and Mari sat up and stared at the bushes, unsure what was behind them. Kanan grabbed a knife on her belt and was ready to attack if she needed to.

Two figures stepped out of the bushes, objects held in their hands that neither could make out in the darkness. Fear seeped through them. Was this the end?


	5. Caught

"Mari, there you are!" The taller figure spoke, "Thank god. We all assumed the worst."

"Dia?" Mari hesitantly asked.

The two figures stepped into the moonlight. The taller figure was indeed Dia, the elder princess of the Diamond kingdom. The other figure was someone they didn't know.

"You. You're the one who took her, aren't you?" Dia glared at Kanan.

"I… I…" Kanan didn't know what to say. It was true. She had kidnapped Mari. But, she was now just escorting her across the world.

"Riko, capture her." Dia barked an order to the shorter girl beside her.

"W-wait! I… I can ex-" Kanan was cut off from her pleading as Riko brought her hiking stick over her head.

Kanan crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap. Mari gulped. She was unsure what to do.

"Are you hurt, Mari? What did she do to you?" Dia knelt beside Mari and started questioning her.

"I'm fine. Kanan hasn't done anything to me." Mari stated.

"Kanan? Isn't that the notorious thief of the Sea kingdom?" Riko asked as she tied Kanan up with ropes that were in the carriage.

"Yeah." Mari nodded.

"Come on. Let's get you to the palace. We'll see what to do with her later." Dia pulled Mari to her feet.

"You will do nothing to her." Mari stated firmly.

"What? Mari, she kidnapped you. Who knows what she was planning." Dia was at a loss for words.

"She was forced to, to repay a debt. She's refused it now. She isn't bad. Please." Mari begged. She didn't want Kanan to be killed.

"We can discuss this later." Dia stated, "We are leaving now."

Riko lifted Kanan into the back of the carriage they had been using. Mari sighed as Dia forced her to sit up front. They were taking the carriage because they couldn't just leave the horses alone. Riko sat in the back with Kanan.

As they traveled, Riko suddenly let out a startled yelp.

"What is it, Riko?" Dia asked.

"T-there's blood… on the floor…" Riko stammered out.

"Oh, yeah… I kinda killed a guy back there… it's okay." Mari admitted.

"Wait. You killed someone?" Dia gave Mari a startled look.

"Yeah. He was going to rape Kanan if I didn't. I wasn't going to let that happen." Mari stated.

"Why are you protecting her? She kidnapped you?" Dia was so confused by Mari.

"She's nice… she isn't a bad person, no matter what people say about her. She's just trying to survive." Mari sighed, "And, she doesn't want to die. That's why she did this. The man was going to kill her if she refused."

"How did she get you? She must have been really sneaky." Riko asked.

Mari let out a nervous laugh, "No. Not really. She climbed up the side of the castle and into my room. I didn't think twice about her. I just thought she was delivering a message and then the next thing I know is she has me in a firm grip and a cloth over my face."

"You are so stupid sometimes…" Dia sighed.

…

As they arrived at the castle, Dia was just even more confused at Mari. No questions she asked were answered like she had expected. They pulled into a small passage and parked the horses. Dia ordered the two men on duty to go take the horses into the stable.

Riko carried the still unconscious Kanan into the castle and to the dungeon. Dia and Mari went the other way. They needed to let everyone know Mari was found and she was safe.

Riko chained Kanan up against the wall. As she was about to leave, Kanan started waking up. Riko turned around and faced her. Kanan groaned as she slowly blinked her eyes. She looked around and realized where she was.

"What are you gonna do to me?" Kanan asked as she spotted Riko.

"I'm just Princess Dia's personal servant. I have no ability to harm you unless she wants me to. The dungeon master will decide your fate once Dia explains the issue." Riko replied.

"There have been rumors that the princess has a forbidden relationship with you." Kanan stated.

Riko's face went bright red, "W-what?"

"So it's actually true?" Kanan teased.

"It is. What does it matter to you?"

Dia entered the cell and stood beside Riko. She had a hard gaze in her eyes as she looked down at Kanan. Kanan stared back at her with the same gaze.

"Mari insists I let you go." Dia said, "I don't agree with her. I don't think you realize what you've done."

"I committed one of the worst crimes in the world?" Kanan asked.

"Yes. You should be put to death for that. I don't get Mari." Dia sighed.

"She is to punished under my kingdom. As one of the rulers, I can decide her fate." Mari came in.

"Mari, I told you to stay in my room!" Dia yelled.

"I refuse to let you hurt her." Mari stated, "I have the right to decide her punishment. I'm the one who 'suffered' under her."

"She is to be killed. You know the rules." Dia growled.

"I can alter the rules as I see fit." Mari said, "You know that as well as I do."

"She is in my kingdom! I get to punish her." Dia argued.

Riko moved away and sat next to Kanan. She didn't feel threatened by her. She was immobilized by the chains after all. And Kanan didn't give off the atmosphere most criminals did. Riko felt like she could ease up a little around her.

"Is this normal?" Kanan asked, "They fight a lot?"

"Yes. The two princesses tend to fight over trivial things." Riko nodded.

"If you do, I can ruin you." Mari stated.

"W-what?"

"Do you know how bad it would be if they found out about this relationship you have going on?" Mari teased as she got closer to Dia, "You let her go or I'll do it."

"Mari-"

"No. I want her released. You are to say that she was my savior. The thief is still out there. Understand?" Mari said.

"Fine…" Dia gave in, "In the morning."

"Now." Mari ordered.

"Riko."

Riko nodded and unchained Kanan. Kanan rubbed her wrists and stood up. Riko held her arm tightly as a safety measure. Kanan didn't seem to care.

"You are staying in the guest room by yourself. Door will be locked." Dia stated as she started heading out of the dungeon.

The other three followed her. Mari complained about wanting to sleep with Kanan, but Dia refused. Mari was going to be staying in Dia's room in a spare bed.

"Why exactly is she so worried about me?" Kanan asked Riko as they fell behind, "What threat am I to her?"

"She's worried you'll try something." Riko replied, "She always has trust issues with people like you."

"I doubt I can get anywhere near her for long enough to harm her." Kanan stated, "And plus, wouldn't the worry be more about me just taking Mari and fleeing again?"

"Princess Ruby is the biggest worry she has. She's very naive at her age. I guess she worries that you'll try something with her." Riko said.

"I have no interest in her." Kanan said, "She is just another princess as far as I'm concerned."

"This is your room." Riko stopped walking.

Kanan walked inside and examined it. She didn't find the room very her style. Kanan sat on the bed and stared at Riko. Riko went to close the door, when someone called her name from afar.

She quickly went to answer the call. Kanan got up and went to the door. She looked out into the hall and found nothing of interest. Kanan wasn't planning to explore. She was content to stay in the room.

"Leave me alone!" A young voice cried.

Kanan heard footsteps getting closer. She looked down the hall to see the younger princess running from a maid.

"I'm not done!" The maid called.

Kanan realized that the princess was barely clothed. Kanan knew what was going on. The maid was trying to have her luck with the princess. It didn't seem like she had succeeded.

Kanan stepped in between them. The maid glared at her. Ruby hid behind Kanan.

"I need the princess." The maid growled.

"Fuck off." Kanan growled back, "You think I'm blind? I know what you wanna do."

The maid grumbled under her breath as she walked away. Kanan turned around the face Ruby. Ruby shied away from her.

"Are you alright?" Kanan asked, "Did she succeed?"

Ruby shook her head, "I... I'm fine… thank you…"

"It's nothing." Kanan smiled at her, "I suppose you should go get changed into something more covering."

Ruby nodded and then grabbed Kanan by the hand. She pulled her down the hall. Kanan went with her, unsure what else to do. She assumed Ruby just wanted her there to make sure the maid couldn't try again.

Ruby entered a room. It was obvious that it was her room. Kanan shut the door and then waited. Ruby pulled out a nightgown and laid it on the bed. She took off her ruined clothing and put it to the side.

"Can you help me? I can't do this very well." Ruby mumbled shyly.

"Of course." Kanan nodded and assisted Ruby in dressing up again.

"What's your name?" Ruby asked.

"Kanan." Kanan replied.

"Why are you here?" Ruby asked next, "I don't think we were told about any visitors."

"Just what do you think you're doing!?" An angry voice belonging to none other than the older princess interrupted them.

Kanan jumped back and turned around. Dia was standing there with a scowl on her face. Kanan knew this situation was not helping her case.

"Onee-chan, what's wrong? She was just helping me." Ruby asked. She had no clue who Kanan was to begin with.

"She kidnapped Mari. I do not trust her near you." Dia growled as she grabbed Kanan by the arm and yanked her away, "Why is she here anyway?"

"The new maid for me… she tried to touch me in those bad spots." Ruby said, "I ran out of the room and she saved me from her."

Dia lightened up her grip on Kanan. She stood still for a moment, before she released Kanan and then pulled Ruby into a hug. They hugged for a while. Kanan just watched them silently.

Dia pulled away first, "Why don't you stay with Riko for the night. I'll send her up."

"Okay…" Ruby nodded.

Dia moved toward Kanan, "Come with me."

Kanan followed Dia without a question. She didn't want to get on her bad side. She was still at her mercy. Dia sent someone to fetch Riko for Ruby and then they continued down the hall.

"Thank you." Dia said quietly, "I'm really grateful that you did that."

"Even I have morals, y'know." Kanan replied, "I couldn't just let that go on."

"I want you to point out who it was." Dia stated as she called a guard over and then entered the maid quarters.

Kanan looked around the room and then pointed to one of them, "Her. The one that is glaring at me."

"Arrest her." Dia ordered the guard.

The guard did as he was asked. Dia then led Kanan back to the guest room.

"I'll leave it unlocked." Dia stated.

"Princess-"

"Dia is fine. I really don't like the formalities in private." Dia said.

"Well, Dia, I'm sorry about causing all of this mess." Kanan apologized.

"It seems it wasn't your fault." Dia replied.

"I guess not entirely." Kanan agreed.

"I'm sending Mari home tomorrow with some guards. You will leave separate and go back home. If you need, I can work out another guard to escort you somewhere." Dia told Kanan.

"I'll be fine. I just ask for some provisions. Otherwise you'll be getting reports of a thief again." Kanan requested.

"I'll see what I can do. I guess Mari was right. You aren't that bad." Dia said.

"Um, Dia, I have a concern about Mari." Kanan called as Dia went to leave, "I think you might like to know."

Dia came back in and sat beside Kanan on the bed, "What is it?"

"From what she's told me, her mom wants to be the only ruler of the Shining kingdom. I know there's a marriage being arranged between your kingdoms and all, so I just don't think it'll go well." Kanan explained.

"I didn't think the rumors were true… Mari told you that?" Dia seemed shocked.

Kanan nodded, "I asked her why she didn't run when she wasn't tied up and… she told me she's never really been outside because her mom wants her gone."

"I guess we'll have to see what happens. I have to send her back." Dia sighed, "But, I'll see about getting everyone aware of her power."

"Alright."

"Why do you care about it?" Dia asked.

"I don't want Mari to suffer from it. She seemed so happy to be outside for once." Kanan replied.

"Only time will tell what will happen."

"Indeed."


	6. Spells and Witches

The morning Kanan was supposed to leave, she was told she had to remain as there were sightings of a wolf in the area. Mari was already gone. She had left early in the morning. The reasoning was because they didn't want many citizens seeing her. There was still a chance someone might try and attack her and take her to finish was Kanan had started.

"I don't believe any wolves have ever gotten this far. It's strange." Dia commented.

Her and Kanan were standing by the gates and waiting. She was there to see Kanan off. The guards didn't like that they were outside. A wolf could very well attack them.

"The wolf is coming!" A yell sounded.

"It's coming here? But why?" Dia mumbled to herself.

Suddenly, the wolf was in sight. Kanan let out a sigh of relief as she saw. It was only Yō. Of course, no one else knew that.

"Should we shoot it, Princess?" A guard asked as he readied his bow.

"Ye-" Dia was about to answer.

"No. Don't shoot." Kanan cut her off.

Kanan gulped as she realized what she had done. She had just disobeyed Dia's order. But, she wasn't going to let them shoot Yō. Kanan would never be able to live with herself if she let that happen. She walked toward where Yō was running.

"K-Kanan! Get back!" Dia called after her, "It's going to kill you!"

Kanan stood still as Yō easily got through the gates. She ran right at Kanan. Dia was expecting to see a death.

Instead, Yō flung herself at Kanan and knocked her to the ground with no sign of aggression. Kanan laughed as Yō started to lick her face.

"Get off." Kanan said.

Yō released Kanan from her weight. Kanan sat up. Yō plopped down beside her and happily rubbed her face onto Kanan's shoulder.

"Um… what is going on?" Dia hesitantly approached them.

Kanan was about to speak, when Yō shot up and started growling and stalking toward Dia. Kanan grabbed Yō around her neck and held her back. Dia was frozen in place as she stared at Yō.

"What are you doing, Yō?" Kanan asked as she struggled to keep Yō still.

"She and her family are the ones who hurt Maru!" Yō growled, "Let me at her!"

"No. You are not going to hurt her. Back down." Kanan stated as she tugged Yō into a sitting position.

"Maru?" Dia whispered the name. It didn't sound familiar at all to her.

"You know where that cursed witch is? Tell us now!" One of the guards demanded as he held a sword at Kanan.

"Lower your weapon." Dia ordered.

The guard let out a growl, but lowered his sword.

"Leave us." Dia ordered him and the other guards around.

"But, Princess, that wolf threatened to kill you." One of the guards complained.

"I'll be fine." Dia states, "Now go."

The guards left the three of them alone. Dia hesitantly took a seat nearby.

"I know who you're talking about now." Dia spoke to Yō, "I didn't harm her."

"You did! Your entire family did!" Yō argued as she tried to stand up again. She wanted nothing more than to sink her teeth into Dia's neck and kill her. Kanan kept her in place.

"You remember that someone let her out, right? She didn't escape on her own." Dia pointed out.

"What does that have to do with this?" Yō didn't get what she was implying.

Kanan, on the other hand, did, "You're the one who let her go?"

Yō calmed down as she heard those words. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But, Yō trusted Kanan. If Kanan believed that then Yō would as well.

Dia nodded, "Yes. I couldn't stand it. She didn't deserve anything. It seems like they forgot that she was our most trusted healer at one time."

"Really? She helped you guys?" Kanan was surprised. Hanamaru had never said anything other than what horrid conditions they kept her in.

"Yeah. She was one of the most loved people on the staff. But, that all changed." Dia sighed, "They blamed her for something she couldn't have caused."

Kanan was about to ask more when she heard footsteps. All three of them turned to see a hooded figure running toward them with a cat on their shoulder.

"You brought Yohane and Chika too?" Kanan asked Yō as she realized who they were.

Yō nodded, "Yeah… we were close by when I smelled you here. She was doing some shopping."

Yohane stopped in front of them. Chika jumped off her shoulders and ran to smother Kanan in cuddles. Yohane took off her hood.

"I see you have the princess with you, Kanan." Yohane commented, "Are you done? There's a problem with the spell and I need you in order to fix it."

"You're a witch?" Dia asked.

Yohane growled, "I don't like that title. I'm a mage."

"Oh… okay… So, you use magic?"

"Yes." Yohane sighed.

"Um, I wanna know more." Kanan requested, "What happened with Maru?"

Yohane sat down, knowing she'd be there a while. Chika curled up in her lap.

"Let's start by saying that my birth caused these problems." Dia replied.

"How?" Kanan pressed.

"My mom… she was having issues. So, they called her to help. My birth didn't go well. But, thanks to her magic, no one died." Dia said, "There was one issue. I have a birthmark. It's hidden from sight right now. The mark I have is seen as being a bad thing."

"Stupid superstitions… birthmarks do nothing." Yohane sighed.

"They needed a coverup. So, they claimed she had used black magic during her help and cursed me. Everyone believed them, so she became hunted." Dia finished.

"I can see why she hates this kingdom." Yohane stated, "She refused to come shopping with me here for a reason."

"My turn to ask a question." Dia stated, "How can you talk?"

"When Maru healed me with her magic, some transferred to me. I can talk now because of that. As can Chika." Yō nodded to Chika.

Chika perked up, "Hi!"

"If that's all, I'd like to be on my way." Yohane said.

"Safe travels." Dia bid them farewell and went back into the castle, "I'll make sure to tell the guards not to harm the wolf."

Yohane grabbed Kanan and started tugging her along. Chika climbed up onto Yohane's shoulders again. Yō walked beside Kanan. The three of them walked to the woods.

"Let's go." Yohane made a portal appear between the trees, "I think it is very important that the spell is finished before word gets out that the princess is safe."

The four of them stepped through the portal. They appeared back inside the house where Hanamaru and Yohane live. Hanamaru greeted them. She was happy to see Kanan was with them and safe.

"Come with me." Yohane motioned Kanan to follow her.

They entered into a room. It was set up with a lot of magic supplies. Yohane motioned for Kanan to sit on a chair. Kanan did so as Yohane started prepping things onto a table.

"So… the thing is… I need to remove your memories as well or else there's a risk of the memories transferring to him." Yohane said, "My magic isn't good enough to put a block on it."

"B-but… if you… then…" Kanan was unable to form sentences.

"I know. It'll only be the ones about him." Yohane tried to reassure her.

"But then I'll think differently. I don't want that." Kanan protested.

"I can try to replace them. No guarantee it will work, though." Yohane sighed.

"I just don't want to believe that I… you know, willingly kidnapped a princess." Kanan explained.

"I can understand that. If I can't alter them, I'll try to help make sure you don't believe that." Yohane promised.

Kanan took a deep breath, "Do as you must."

Yohane grabbed a small potion from a table and handed it to Kanan. Kanan examined it as Yohane started to explain how it would work.

"It's going to knock you out. I'll then use my magic to enter your memories and remove the ones I need to. I will see things that you probably don't want me to see. I will never speak of this again, I promise." Yohane explained as best as she could.

Kanan nodded, "Alright. So, what do I do?"

"Drink it. It'll taste bitter. I couldn't change that." Yohane replied.

Kanan took a deep breath and then drank the potion. She made a sour face as she handed the empty bottle back to Yohane. Yohane gave her an apology for the taste as she set the bottle aside.

"It's gonna take a few minutes to set in. But once it does it'll be instant." Yohane explained.

Kanan nodded as she waited. Yohane cleaned up some of the excesses items she had lying around as she waited. Like she had said, after a few minutes, it instantly kicked in. Kanan slumped down into the chair in seconds.

Yohane walked back over to her and prepared her magic. Invading someone's mind was hard enough as it was. Making someone unconscious made the process a little easier. Yohane got to work doing as she had to.

…

When Kanan came to, she was laying on a bed. She slowly sat up. She vaguely recalled the conversation with Yohane. Kanan looked around the room. Yō was sleeping next to her on the bed. Kanan reached out and pet her. Yō stirred from the touch.

"Kanan? You're awake!" Yō happily barked as she nuzzled up to Kanan.

"Yeah." Kanan nodded.

The door to the room opened and Yohane came in. Chika was sitting on her shoulders as always. Yohane sat beside Kanan on the bed.

"So…" Yohane was unsure how to approach the topic, "How do you feel?"

"Okay." Kanan replied, "I have a small headache."

"That's normal." Yohane said.

"So… you changed my memories?" Kanan asked as she tried to recall the conversation. She could faintly remember it.

Yohane stared at her with wide eyes, "W-what? You shouldn't be able to remember that!"

"I shouldn't?" Kanan tilted her head.

"Tell me what you recall after you were jailed." Yohane asked, praying that was the only memory Kanan had that remained.

Kanan thought about it, "Someone paid my bail… and then they… they asked me to do something for them… I can't remember what it was though."

"Anything else?" Yohane gave Yō and Chika a worried look. The spell hadn't succeeded like it was supposed to.

"I… I kidnapped a princess… was that the favor?" Kanan pondered.

Yohane flicked her hand toward Kanan and cast a sleep spell on her. Chika hopped off Yohane's shoulders and sat next to Kanan. Her and Yō looked at Yohane with a confused look. They didn't know why she had acted like that.

"Maru!" Yohane left the room.

Hanamaru paused from the potion she was making, "Yes?"

"There's a problem!"

"What is it?" Hanamaru gave Yohane her full attention at that statement.

"The spell didn't work. She can remember everything. It's all very vague, but it's there." Yohane said, "What do we do? The spell might've failed completely now!"

"Well, first thing, you need to calm yourself." Hanamaru replied, "Then check if he has the memories again."

Yohane nodded and took a minute to compose herself. After that, she felt her magic to see if it was still working on the man.

"Maru… he has them back… they're a lot clearer than Kanan's are…" Yohane gulped.

"What do we do?" Hanamaru whispered as she thought about it, "He's going to realize what happened and go looking for her now."

"I panicked and I may have put a sleep spell on Kanan. Um, should I remove it?" Yohane hesitantly asked, "Or do you think we might be able to fix it?"

"I don't think it is wise. If she had issues recalling things, you could really mess up her memories by trying again." Hanamaru warned.

"I guess we'll just have to hope for the best." Yohane sighed as she went back into the bedroom.

Yō and Chika were curled around Kanan protectively. Yohane sighed as she walked over to them.

"We failed. He remembers. You'll have to keep a close eye on her." Yohane told them as she removed the spell.

"I'll do my best." Yō promised, "You tried."

…

Yohane and Hanamaru had forced Kanan to hide out for a while. The provisions that Kanan had brought back with her were enough to last them for a while. It was just another normal day for them.

It was getting later and the sun was setting. A knock suddenly sounded on the door. That was very unusual. No one ever dared venture out into the woods.

"Yō, can you get it?" Hanamaru called.

Yō was the one who would answer unexpected knocks. If the person at the door wanted to attack, Yō would easily intimidate them into leaving.

"Sure!" Yō responded as she trotted over to the door. She gripped the handle with her teeth and easily opened it up. Who was at the door was a surprise.

"U-um, hello? What brings you here, Princess?"


	7. Kidnapped Again

"Princess?" Hanamaru and Yohane paused from their work.

Yohane walked to the door, knowing Hanamaru wouldn't do that. She refused to interact with any royalty after being betrayed. Yō stood to the side and allowed Yohane through the door.

"Princess Dia and…" Yohane looked at Riko.

"Sakurauchi Riko. I'm Princess Dia's personal servant." Riko introduced herself with a bow.

"Well, would you two like to come in?" Yohane stood back and motioned them inside.

Dia and Riko hesitantly entered into the house. This was the first time either of them have been in a house where a witch lived. Hanamaru warily watched them. Even if Dia had rescued her, she still didn't trust her completely. Yohane led them to a dining table and told them to sit. She and Hanamaru sat opposite of them.

"So, what brings you two out to a witch's house?" Yohane started the questioning.

"Is Kanan here?" Dia asked, "I'm looking for her."

"She's out right now." Hanamaru replied, "She's gathering herbs for me."

"What do you want her for?" Yohane asked. She didn't think it was something that bad. She was assuming they wanted info on the request Kanan had for kidnapping Mari.

"There's an issue regarding Mari. I need her to assist in the fixing of it." Dia replied vaguely.

"How?"

"I'll explain that only when she is here." Dia stated.

"I'll send her a message to come home." Hanamaru said.

"How?" Riko asked curiously.

"Telepathy." Yohane replied on her behalf.

"That's cool."

They waited around for a few minutes as Kanan made her way back. Hanamaru offered their guests some tea, but they politely declined. The door to the house opened.

"It's these two again!" Chika hopped off of Kanan's shoulder and ran over to climb onto Yō's back.

"Take a seat."

Kanan sat down beside where Hanamaru sat. She was giving Dia and Riko confused looks. They came all the way out here for her. Something was seriously wrong then.

"So, what's the problem?" Kanan asked.

"After your information, we sent a spy to the Shining kingdom. He found out that Mari is going to be killed. The Queen seems to be aware she knows the truth now." Dia explained, "I need you to help. I want you to go and 'kidnap' her, so to speak. No one has been permitted to go and do so in our kingdom."

"I'll gladly do that." Kanan stated, "I can't believe how far people go for power."

"Indeed."

"Would you two like to stay for a day? I can easily make a portal to send Kanan where she needs to be. You can wait here until we have Mari." Yohane offered.

"I suppose we could."

Yohane and Kanan left the others and went into the deeper part of the woods. Yohane made the portal and they both stepped through it.

"I'll be waiting here for when you have her." Yohane said as she took a seat on a fallen tree log.

"Alright. I'll let you know if anything happens." Kanan nodded and then set off to go get Mari.

She easily made her way through the streets. Sure, it was getting late, but there were still a lot of people around. Kanan made sure to not draw any attention to herself. She made her way to the same wall she had climbed up before. It was still the way it had been then.

Kanan took a deep breath and started climbing the wall. It wasn't as dark as before. She was afraid she would be spotted by someone. She was also afraid Mari would have company and she'd be caught.

Kanan made it to the top and sat on the ledge. Mari wasn't in the room. Kanan hesitantly went inside and looked around. She found no trace of where Mari could be. It was far too late for it to be for dinner. Kanan assumed that Mari had a meeting to attend. She hung out by a blind spot to anyone opening the door. If someone else came in, she'd be screwed.

The door suddenly burst open, Mari frantically running in. A knight followed after her with a knife drawn. Mari got trapped at the edge of her bed. The knight held the knife over her head and tried to bring it down. Mari managed to grab his arm and keep it away from her.

Kanan drew her knife and ran at the knight. She sunk it into his neck and shoved him to the ground. Mari stared at Kanan with wide eyes, before she let out an alarmed cry. Kanan felt a sharp pain pierce through her side that made her cry out in pain. She had been stabbed. Kanan fell to the ground as the sword was yanked out of her.

Mari yanked the knife out of Kanan's hand and turned it on the knight who had stabbed her. Mari repetitively stabbed it into his chest until she was sure he was dead. Mari ran over to her dresser and pulled out a towel. She pressed it against Kanan's wound. Mari spoke to Kanan, but Kanan didn't hear her.

Kanan was fading out of consciousness, but she managed to contact Yohane, "Yohane..."

"What is it?" Yohane quickly replied.

"I've been stabbed… Help me… It could be fatal..."

"Hang on. I'm coming." Yohane quickly stated.

Seconds later, Yohane appeared in the room. She paid Mari no mind as she rushed to Kanan's side. Mari had no clue what was going on, but she decided to let it play out. If Yohane could save Kanan, she would be fine with that.

"We need to get you home now." Yohane stated as she formed a portal in the room. That was extremely risky. Using magic near any place like this would get you caught. They had sensors that could tell.

"Can you carry her?" Yohane asked Mari.

Mari nodded and carefully picked up Kanan. Yohane motioned for her to step through the portal first. Mari hesitated, before she did. She had to trust Yohane. She had no choice.

The three of them appeared in front of the house. Yohane quickly threw open the door. She rushed inside. Mari followed behind with Kanan, who had passed out from the pain.

"What happened?" Yō rushed over to where they stood.

"She got stabbed…"

"Lay her here." Yohane ordered.

Mari did as told. She stepped back and let them work on her.

"Mari, are you alright?"

"Dia? What are you doing here?" Mari turned to face Dia.

"I asked Kanan to come get you. What happened?" Dia asked as she examined Mari.

"Mom called me to a meeting. She ordered two knights to kill me. I ran back to my room, but one of them was too close. He had a knife ready to kill me when Kanan stabbed his neck. The other knight managed to catch up in that time. He rammed his sword through her side." Mari relayed what she knew.

"I didn't think they'd do that so soon…"

"What?" Mari was confused by the statement Dia made.

"We knew they were planning to kill you. No one knew when. I just didn't think it would happen this suddenly." Dia replied, "That's why I sent her to get you. So you wouldn't be killed."

"Will she be alright?" Mari asked.

"She'll be fine now that's she is with us." Hanamaru replied, "She's suffered worse wounds that we've healed without a trace left."

"Come. Why don't ya go and get cleaned up." Yō decided to get Mari out of the room to try and break her out of her shock.

"Okay…" Mari agreed and allowed Yō to lead her away.

"Chika, go with her." Yohane asked.

"Okay!" Chika ran after them.

"Are they familiars?" Riko asked as she walked into the room.

"They weren't supposed to be. It just kinda ended up that way. Kanan rescued them both and we saved them from death. They just hung around us after that." Yohane explained.

"I've sealed up the wound. I'll make the antibiotic." Hanamaru said as she left the room.

"Okay. I'm gonna move her to my room for now." Yohane replied. She used her magic to transport Kanan to her bed.

"Um, if ya-you don't mind me asking, what type of witches are you guys?" Riko asked.

"Maru is a pure blood. I'm a cursed one." Yohane replied.

"What do you mean?" Dia asked.

"A witch cursed me to have magic after my family didn't pay her back. Where I'm from, any rumor you might have magic is believed. My family abandoned me so they wouldn't be killed." Yohane said.

"Oh."

"Anyways, would you like to have some dinner?" Yohane asked to drop the conversation. She hated telling people about how she ended up as a witch.

"Sure." They looked at her with wary looks. They didn't know what to expect from a dinner from a witch.


	8. Wanted

That night, everyone had settled into a room to sleep. Mari was just getting ready for bed. She had fought to stay in the room with Kanan. It wasn't much of a fight. Yohane didn't care much. She was fine sharing with Hanamaru for a night.

Mari was about to lay down when Kanan stirred. Mari gave Kanan a smile as she opened her eyes.

"Hey."

"Hey…"

"Are you feeling okay?" Mari asked.

Kanan nodded, "Yeah. I'm alright."

"That's good. I was worried." Mari smiled.

"I'm okay now." Kanan promised.

Mari and Kanan stared at each other in silence for a while. Mari leaned down toward Kanan. Their lips met and they kissed. Kanan wrapped her arms around Mari's neck and pulled her closer. The kiss continued to get more passionate. Mari's hand started to roam Kanan's body. She slid them under her shirt.

Suddenly there was a growl. Yō had been watching them from the floor. She jumped up on the bed and pushed Mari off of Kanan and onto the floor on her butt.

"Yō?" Kanan asked.

"I refuse to allow this. Kanan is injured. You are not going to be doing things like that until she gets better!" Yō growled at Mari as she stood back up.

"Sorry." Mari apologized, "It won't happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't or I might take your arms." Yō huffed as she jumped back off the bed and curled up in her corner of the room.

"Am I allowed to move around?" Kanan asked.

"Just don't push yourself too much." Yō replied.

Kanan slowly sat up and moved over to the edge of the bed. Mari climbed in in the space Kanan had left. Kanan laid back down on the bed. Mari carefully moved around to lay beside her.

"You know… I'm not a princess anymore, am I?" Mari asked.

"I don't know. It all depends on what Dia is planning." Kanan replied.

"Well, right now I'm not. So, I'm allowed to love you." Mari stated.

"You are allowed to love whoever you want. You just can't marry them." Kanan pointed out.

"True… maybe if I take back the throne I'll make it allowed." Mari said.

"Alright then. Get some rest." Kanan closed her eyes.

"Okay. Goodnight, Kanan." Mari yawned as she closed her eyes as well.

"Goodnight."

When morning came, Yohane came in to check on Kanan. She was greeted with her and Mari snuggling together on the bed. Yohane glanced at Yō. Yō looked at her and just nodded. That was all the confirmation Yohane needed.

"Wake up, sleepyheads." Yohane shook them awake.

"Yohane?" Kanan grumbled, "Five more minutes…"

Yohane sighed. Mari hadn't even stirred from her shaking. Kanan was refusing to get up. She just snuggled closer to Mari. Yohane didn't know if she was being defiant or was just still asleep. She decided to go with the latter to save herself the trouble of having to scold Kanan later.

"I need to change your dressing. Get up." Yohane grumbled as she tugged Kanan away from Mari.

"Fine…" Kanan yawned as she sat up.

Mari woke from all the movement. She sat up and stretched. Yohane took off Kanan's shirt so she could see the wound better. Mari couldn't help herself from sneaking glances at Kanan's breasts.

"Do you feel okay? No fever?" Yohane asked Kanan as she started removing the bandages from the wound.

"I'm fine." Kanan replied.

"Just let someone know if you start feeling sick. It should be clean, but you never know. Infection can happen still." Yohane stated as she put some of the potion Hanamaru had made onto the healing scar. Their magic could close the wound, but they needed to use potions to make the scar vanish completely.

"I know… this isn't even the fifth time. This is like the tenth. I know what to do." Kanan grumbled. She hated when Yohane babied her over her injuries. She was capable of knowing when something was wrong.

"Just making sure." Yohane replied as she started to rebandage the wound.

Chika walked into the room, "Hey! I have news!"

She hopped up onto the bed and placed herself in Kanan's lap. She waited patiently until Yohane had finished bandaging Kanan's wound. Mari reached out and lightly pat Chika on the head. Chika hissed and swatted at Mari. She kept her claws sheathed.

"Don't touch me unless you ask first!" Chika hissed as she glared at Mari, her tail swishing angrily in the air.

"Sorry." Mari apologized, "I've just never got to see a cat before."

"You haven't? I thought everyone would've seen a cat before." Chika stared at Mari in disbelief.

"Chika, the news please." Kanan tapped Chika on her head.

"Right. Um… Maru went to see how the herbs are growing and we heard some announcements coming from the town. Mari is wanted." Chika stated.

"Wanted? For what?" Mari asked.

"For the murder of those two guards. Also for planning to overthrow her mother." Chika replied.

"Those two combined…" Kanan whispered, "That's a death sentence."

"The reward was huge! Lots of people will be lookin' for her!" Chika said.

"What do we do?" Yō jumped up onto the bed.

"Does Dia know?" Yohane asked, "Maybe she might have an idea on what to do."

"I'll go tell her!" Chika rushed out of the room.

All eyes turned to Mari. She met them with an angry and betrayed look. Her own mother was out to kill her.

"Mari, how are you?" Kanan asked.

"I'm fine… I just can't believe how much mom has changed in my eyes… I used to think she was such an amazing queen who I should look up to, to now wanting to kill her." Mari mumbled.

"Feeling's mutual." Kanan replied.

Chika came back into the room with Dia and Riko behind her. Chika jumped up on the bed and then settled down onto Kanan's lap.

"So, it appears as though the plan didn't go like it was supposed to." Dia sighed.

"Yeah… it didn't."

"I'm not sure what we can do. It's not simple anymore. You can't take refuge anywhere else but here." Dia frowned as she became lost in thought.

"She could. If someone else can be guilty for the crimes." Kanan stated.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Dia rolled her eyes at the suggestion.

"Say someone is trying to frame Mari." Kanan stated, "If there's any way to do it, it'll be that."

"But we need a guilty party then." Riko pointed out.

"I know someone…" Kanan smiled slyly.

"You're gonna try and get that man arrested for it? I don't think that is going to work." Yohane sighed.

"I have evidence." Kanan smirked, "I have a note from him about what to do."

"Oh… alright." Yohane nodded.

"And how are we supposed to plant that?" Dia asked.

"Can you teleport it?" Kanan asked Yohane.

"That's something you'll have to get Maru to do." Yohane replied.

"She can?"

"Yes. She's a lot better at getting it in the correct location." Yohane nodded.

"I guess this is what we'll do, then." Dia said.

Kanan handed Yohane the piece of paper. Yohane read over it before she left the room to give it to Hanamaru to plant.

"Once your name is cleared, hopefully you can come and live with us." Dia spoke to Mari, "You'll need protection. Your mother will try something again."

"I know…" Mari sighed.

"It's been planted." Yohane came back into the room.

"Good. Now all we can do is wait."

"Do you guys have to go back at a certain time or can you stay until you want to leave?" Mari asked.

"We can stay for a month. After that, they'll assume something happened to us." Dia replied.

"I guess we're staying until Mari is able to leave?" Riko asked.

Dia nodded, "If we can."

"Hopefully in a week that should happen."

"Hopefully."

They spoke to each other for a while. Then Yohane left to go make something for them to have for lunch.

"Can I pet you?"

Chika glanced over at Mari. She stretched and then got off of Kanan's lap. Mari was watching her with hopeful eyes. Chika walked over and sat down in Mari's lap. Mari smiled as she reached out and started petting Chika. Chika was tensed up at first, until Mari proved she was able to pet her comfortably. Chika started purring as she rubbed her head against Mari's leg.

Yō jumped up on the bed and plopped down onto Kanan's legs. She let out a small whine. Kanan chuckled as she started petting Yō. She was jealous that Chika was getting attention while she wasn't.

"I didn't know wolves could ever be friendly." Riko said.

"There's a reason I was kicked out of my pack." Yō stated as she rested her head down onto Kanan's lap.

"Oh…"

"Are you scared of me?" Yō asked Riko.

"A little bit…" Riko admitted.

"Kanan. I wanted to ask you something." Dia said.

"And what would that be?" Kanan asked.

"Why are you wanted for such a high price? What could you have possibly done to get that?" Dia asked, "Thieves have never gotten anywhere close to that."

Kanan sighed, "It's… complicated…"

"I would assume so."

"I've been framed. Not all the crimes listed under my name are my doing." Kanan said, "They blame me if they can't find anyone else… I'm the scapegoat."

"Why haven't you settled down? It wouldn't be that hard to start a new life." Dia asked.

"Because my family is here." Kanan replied.

"What do you mean?" Mari asked her.

"Maru and Yohane are the only family I really have anymore… I can't leave them." Kanan stated.

"I see… tough life…"


	9. Hostage

The wait for the news was agonizing. All of them were on edge. If the plan hadn't worked, it was going to get even more complicated.

"When will she come back?" Yō whined as she pawed at Hanamaru's feet.

"Soon." Hanamaru promised.

Hanamaru, Yohane, Mari, and Yō were gathered around waiting for Kanan. She had gone out to see if there was any news in the town about the note. The door opened to the house.

Kanan stepped in.

"What's wrong?" Mari asked.

Kanan took a deep breath, "It didn't work…"

"Why do you look so worried?" Hanamaru asked.

"Where are Dia and Riko?" Kanan asked as she looked around the room.

"Need us?" Riko popped her head out of the spare bedroom.

Kanan nodded. Riko went back into the room. After a few minutes of whispers being exchanged between them, her and Dia came out and sat around the small living room.

"The note didn't work… they did arrest him and all, but they still stated that Mari is also planning to overthrow her." Kanan explained, "And… they seem to have figured out that the Diamond kingdom is aiding Mari."

"What?" Dia and Riko went pale.

"They… they launched a raid on the castle… thinking Mari was there." Kanan struggled to speak. She knew it would be tough on them. She hadn't even gotten to the worst part yet.

"Do you know if there were any deaths?" Riko asked.

"There were about five. All soldiers, I believe." Kanan said, "And one hostage was taken."

"Hostage?"

"Princess Ruby." Kanan braced herself for Dia's reaction.

"W… what?" Dia didn't know how to react, "They… they have…"

"Princess?" Riko asked worriedly.

Dia threw her arms around Riko. She started crying and cursing. No one said anything. They knew a reaction like that would come eventually. Riko did her best to calm Dia down.

"Are there any reports of a recovery mission?" Riko asked.

"I didn't hear about any. They might be making it undercover, after all." Kanan replied.

"Guys! Guys!" Chika ran into the house.

She hadn't been able to take the anxiety and had gone out to hunt. Everyone looked at Chika.

"I was hunting and I caught a bird and there was this in its talons!" Chika held up a neatly wrapped letter in her mouth.

Yohane took it from Chika and read it. She looked at everyone in the room as they waited to hear what was on it.

"This is addressed to Dia." Yohane stated.

Riko took the letter from Yohane and read it over herself. She whispered something into Dia's ear. Dia whispered something back to her.

"They said that we have to hand over Mari. They aren't gon-going to protect her if it means Ruby is in danger." Riko explained.

"There has to be another way!" Mari begged.

"Yeah. A life for a life isn't the fairest." Kanan agreed.

"I can see about tracking her location down." Hanamaru stood up, "We should at least figure out what we're working with."

"Yeah." Yohane nodded.

"Dia, I know you're upset and all, but I need your help with this. I need some blood so I can track Ruby down." Hanamaru hesitantly spoke to Dia.

Dia pushed herself away from Riko and stood up. Riko quickly stood up with her. Dia shook her head at Riko and then followed Hanamaru into a different room of the house. Riko sighed and sat back down.

"What could we even do to get her back?" Yohane mumbled.

"Well, I feel like Maru has a plan." Kanan stated, "She looks like she knows what to do."

"I guess that is true. But, what on earth could she be planning? I can't think of anything off the top of my head." Yohane muttered.

"Well, she wants to know the location. The exact location." Yō said, "What if she's planning to teleport something or someone there?"

"That actually might work."

"Yeah. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

DIVIDER--

After about an hour, Dia and Hanamaru returned to the living room. Everyone looked at them and waited to hear the report.

"She's in a hidden dungeon." Hanamaru stated, "By the east mountain."

"Isn't that… the poisonous mountain?" Kanan asked.

"What!?"

"Um… I've heard a lot of stories about people going to the mountain and then being found dead from poison. It's unclear what caused it, but superstitious folks are saying it's from the mountain. I think someone is up there doing that, though." Kanan explained.

"I remember hearing about that. It does seem like it's someone's doing." Yohane nodded.

"So, Maru. How are we planning to get her back?" Yō asked.

"Well… it wouldn't be that hard to just appear and then vanish with her…" Hanamaru admitted.

"What if magic is blocked?" Chika asked.

"Then we're doing it the old fashioned way." Hanamaru replied.

"Why don't you just hand me over?" Mari said, "It's okay if you do…"

"Mari, do you think any of us trust your mother to keep promises?" Dia asked.

"I guess not…" Mari mumbled.

"Well, we're in luck. I can teleport there." Hanamaru stated.

"Can you manage three people, though?" Kanan asked, "You'll need someone to come with you just incase and then to transport her back. Can you manage that?"

"I should be able to if it's Yohane who comes with me." Hanamaru replied.

"Then that's what we'll do."

"When do you plan to do this?" Dia asked, "And how? She'll be guarded constantly."

"I think we can manage. Tonight we'll set out." Hanamaru stated.

"Okay…"

"We'll get her back. I promise."

DIVIDER--

That night was hectic. Yohane was training with a knife and her magic just in case she needed to fight. Hanamaru was gathering her power up so she could manage the transportation. Kanan was helping Yohane with her fighting.

Chika and Yō were watching Hanamaru. She was outside in the garden. If someone wandered far enough, they would find her. Yō was there to fight them off and Chika was there to spot them.

Dia and Riko were in the guest bedroom. They had retreated there after the meeting had ended and had not come out since. Sobbing could be heard for the first hour or so. After that, more… indecent sounds were heard. They were very faint, but noticeable if it was completely quiet.

"Are you ready, Maru?" Yohane and Kanan walked into the garden.

"I think so." Hanamaru nodded.

"Good luck, you two. Don't put your lives in danger if you can help it." Kanan stated.

"That's weird to hear when it's coming from you." Yohane laughed, "You'd do anything even if it meant you could die."

"But you're not me." Kanan pointed out.

"Fine… come on." Yohane sighed, "I'll make a portal. Then you can transport us back. I should be able to get close to the point. You'll need to conserve your energy."

"Alright. Let's do it." Hanamaru nodded.

Yohane made a portal. They gave everyone a goodbye and then stepped through it.


	10. Rescue

Yohane and Hanamaru appeared behind the dungeon. They crept around the mountain side and looked for guards. There didn't appear to be any at the moment.

"This feels like a trap." Yohane whispered, "This is a princess. There should be a lot of guards around."

"Yeah… can you sense anyone?" Hanamaru whispered back.

Yohane reached out with her magic to see if she could feel anyone around. As she did, she felt someone connect with her magic. Yohane let out a screech as the person's contact burned her. She quickly hid her magic and collapsed to the ground panting.

"What happened?" Hanamaru asked as she knelt beside her.

"Some...one…" Yohane mumbled, "Sensed…"

She fell unconscious. The person who had connected with her had drained all her magic. A witch without magic was useless. It was basically her life force in a way.

"The witch is this way!" A voice called.

Hanamaru gulped as she drug Yohane into the cover of some bushes. She prayed that they wouldn't find them.

"Come out, little witch." A voice called, "We know you're here."

Hanamaru held herself completely still. One wrong move and they would know where they were. It would be over for them. Hanamaru was debating if she should just teleport them out of there.

"I can sense some magic. It's by that bush."

Hanamaru gulped. They would find them. She knew she had to do something. But, the only thing she could think of doing was something she swore to never do. The guards got closer to the bush. Their feet were visible.

Hanamaru took a deep breath and whispered out a spell. She had no choice. That promise had to be broken. She would die if she didn't break it.

The guards let out screams of pain. Hanamaru had cast a spell to kill them. A forbidden spell that every witch made an oath never to use. Hanamaru felt she had to. She prayed no witch nearby would be able to sense her. The guards fell to the ground. They were dead.

Hanamaru struggled to her feet. She had drained almost all of her magic doing that spell. She struggled, but managed to pick up Yohane. She stumbled away from the dead guards and into a deep forest. She needed a place to hide. Who knew just how many guards there were.

Hanamaru found a cave. She stumbled inside and hoped no one had already claimed it. It seemed to empty. She set Yohane down a small patch of weeds that were growing. She sat beside her.

She was too weak to do anything. Hanamaru tried to keep watch, but she was slowly falling asleep. Her body needed to regenerate her magic. It could only do that when she was relaxed. Hanamaru was not relaxed at all. As hard as she tried, she failed to fight back and soon collapsed next to Yohane.

DIVIDER--

Yohane woke up first. She groaned in pain as she held her head. She had a headache now. That was the main side effect of magic depletion. Yohane glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She stared at Hanamaru for a few minutes.

"Just what the hell happened?" Yohane mumbled as she got to her feet.

She walked to the cave's entrance and looked around. She couldn't see much because of the thick woods. She spotted a small break in the foliage. She walked over to it and peered through. Yohane saw a cave. The cave that was holding Ruby.

Yohane could faintly make out the princess in the cave. There were a lot of guards around her. Yohane knew this rescue mission was not going to be easy. There were a lot of guards. And some knew how to sense magic.

"Yohane?"

Yohane turned around, "Hey."

"You alright?" Hanamaru stood beside her.

"Yeah. I'm fine. How are you?" Yohane nodded.

"I'll be fine." Hanamaru replied.

"What happened?" Yohane asked.

Hanamaru looked down at what Yohane was looking at, "I killed two guards…"

"How?" Yohane questioned, worried about what the answer would be.

Hanamaru couldn't bring herself to face Yohane, "I used that spell…"

"You used it…" Yohane stared at her with wide eyes, "Are you alright? You don't sense anyone knows?"

"I don't feel anything." Hanamaru shook her head.

"That's good. It's okay. You did what you had to." Yohane said, wanting to reassure Hanamaru as best she could.

"I just… it feels wrong…" Hanamaru mumbled, "I don't like killing people…"

"I know. You had no choice. It would've been us if you hadn't."

"So… anyway, how are we getting her out?" Hanamaru pointed to the cave holding Ruby.

"Do you think you could just quickly teleport in and then out with her?" Yohane asked.

"I don't know…" Hanamaru mumbled, "To do it fast enough so they can't sense me would be hard."

"I'll lend you my magic if you need it." Yohane stated.

"You'll need your magic. If I do that, you'll need to get us out of here. There's no way I could after using that much." Hanamaru shook her head at the offer.

"I think we could hang out for a bit if we had to. As long as no one has a tracker on the princess we should be able to stay hidden here." Yohane pointed out, "They'll assume she was taken back to the castle, most likely. They wouldn't search around here."

"That might work…" Hanamaru thought about it, "I guess we can try it. But, it'll have to wait. I need to recover still."

"I think she'll be okay for a while longer." Yohane said.

Hanamaru and Yohane went back into the cave and sat down on the floor. Hanamaru rested her head on Yohane's shoulder.

"Rest up. I'll keep watch." Yohane said.

Hanamaru let out a small hum as she drifted off to sleep. She had woken up the moment she had enough strength to. She still had a lot of magic to recover. Yohane watched over her and the entrance.

DIVIDER--

A while later, a scream echoed over the land. Yohane jumped up and went to see if she could find the cause. Hanamaru had just woken up moments prior. She jumped up and ran after Yohane. They came to the break in the foliage.

"Oh no…" Yohane mumbled.

"What?" Hanamaru pushed her way beside her.

"They're beating her up." Yohane replied.

"What do we do?" Hanamaru asked.

"I don't know… there's no way we can save her from it. If you'll need my magic then I can't use it." Yohane sighed, "I could knock him out normally. I don't know if I'd have enough left to do that."

"Do you think I could get her?" Hanamaru asked as she winced at Ruby's treatment.

"No. You risk teleporting him too. It's too risky. As much as I hate to say it, we have to wait it out." Yohane frowned.

Neither of them wanted to let Ruby suffer. They had no choice in it. Hanamaru would need to use a lot of Yohane's magic to succeed. Yohane wouldn't be able to help her much. She couldn't even cause a distraction. She would get caught way too easily if she tried.

"I feel so bad…" Hanamaru whispered.

"I know. I do too. But it's necessary if we want to save her." Yohane nodded.

The two of them kept a close eye on Ruby. They agreed to attempt a rescue if she looked like she was going to be killed. If not, they prayed she could survive enough to let them rescue her.

Hanamaru was worried that Ruby would freak out once she was saved. She had no idea who they were. She was never allowed to see Hanamaru. Ruby would probably scream and draw attention to their location. That was something they couldn't let happen. The way to prevent it was an issue though.

Neither would have much magic energy left. They couldn't simply cast a spell to mute her or put her to sleep. And they'd be weak. Trying to restrain her would not go in their favor. They were both stumped on what to do.

Soon the cries died down. They looked to see that the guard had left the cell.

"Lend me your magic now. Who knows if he's going to come back and do worse." Hanamaru ordered.

Yohane was taken aback by the sudden firmness in Hanamaru's voice, but nodded. Hanamaru held one of Yohane's hands. Yohane transferred as much of her magic as she could into Hanamaru. They pulled away. Yohane stumbled into a tree, before she caught herself and stood up tall again.

"I'm going to do it now." Hanamaru stated, "If you can, keep an eye out and try to tell me if something is wrong."

"I'll try." Yohane promised before she sat on the ground and looked over at the cell.

Hanamaru took a deep breath and then teleported inside the cell. She grabbed Ruby, who didn't respond at all, and quickly vanished and went back to where Yohane was waiting. Hanamaru was panting from the extreme use of magic. She set Ruby down and fell down next to Yohane.

"I have enough left to see if she has a tracker. You can rest." Yohane said.

"Is she okay?" Hanamaru asked.

"She's unconscious. She looks pretty rough, but they seem pretty small." Yohane replied as she started searching Ruby for a tracker.

Hanamaru leaned back against a tree and watched. She relaxed and allowed her magic to regenerate.

"There's no tracker." Yohane stated.

"Good… we should hide…" Hanamaru mumbled, "Just in case they do search around."

"Alright. Can you stand?" Yohane asked.

"I think I can." Hanamaru pushed herself to her feet.

Yohane grabbed Ruby and carried her to the cave. She also let Hanamaru lean on her for support as they walked. Yohane set Ruby down and then helped Hanamaru to sit as well.

"I'll keep watch." Yohane stated, "And I'll tell them that we have her. Just rest up for now."

"Okay. Stay safe." Hanamaru replied.

"I'll try." Yohane promised as she went and stood by the cave's entrance.

Yohane reached out to Kanan, "Kanan. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Is everything alright?" Kanan asked.

"Yes. We have her. We just need to rest for a bit to get enough magic to get back." Yohane replied.

"Good. I'll tell everyone. Stay safe." Kanan cut off the connection after that.

Yohane stood guard until she felt her magic was back to normal. She didn't need to relax to have it restore itself. She could be doing anything as long as it didn't involve magic use and her magic would regenerate. Hanamaru was jealous of that ability.

"You good enough?" Yohane asked, "I can make a portal."

"I think so. But, I think she's waking up." Hanamaru nodded to where Ruby was lying. She was making whimpers and squirming.

"I guess that'll be our first task." Yohane walked over to her and sat down.

Hanamaru joined her as they waited to see if Ruby would open her eyes. She did, after a few minutes of waiting. She stared at Hanamaru and Yohane with fearful eyes.

"It's alright. We're here to help you." Hanamaru said calmly.

"S-stay away!" Ruby cowered into a wall.

"Princess, please. We mean you no harm." Hanamaru tried again.

Ruby shook her head and kept cowering from them. Hanamaru looked at Yohane with a 'do something' look.

"I know you don't trust us. But I promise we're here to rescue you. Your sister is waiting for you. If you come with us, we can take you to her." Yohane tried to calm Ruby next.

"Onee-chan?" Ruby looked up at them with hopeful eyes.

"Yes. We can take you to her." Yohane nodded, hoping she had gotten through to her.

Ruby hesitated, before she slowly nodded. Hanamaru and Yohane smiled at each other. They had done it.

"Alright. I'm going to make a portal. We all are going to step through it and then you'll be with your sister again." Yohane explained.

"Portal? Magic?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. We both use magic. I promise we won't hurt you." Yohane nodded.

"I want onee-chan." Ruby stated.

"Okay." Yohane formed the portal.

Hanamaru went first and then Ruby slowly followed behind her. Yohane went last and then closed the portal up. They were standing outside their house.

"Come in. She's in here." Hanamaru opened the door.

Ruby cautiously walked into the house. Hanamaru and Yohane followed after her. Yō was the only one in the living room at the moment. She perked up when she saw them, but stayed laying on the floor. She knew better than to start jumping all over them. She didn't want to scare Ruby.

"W-wolf!?" Ruby cowered behind Hanamaru.

"It's okay. She's nice." Hanamaru reassured Ruby.

"Where are they all?" Yohane asked Yō.

"Kanan went out to show Mari around the forest. Chika is hunting again. And those two are still in the room." Yō replied.

Hanamaru walked over to the door and knocked on it. She entered the room after announcing herself. There was a quiet conversation between them. Then Dia came out of the room.

"Onee-chan!" Ruby ran over to her and hugged her tightly.

Dia hugged her back. Dia made herself level with Ruby. Ruby was crying as she kept hugging her. Dia was crying as well.

"Okay… I get you're having a reunion and all, but can we treat her wounds first." Yohane interrupted them.

"What happened to you?" Dia gently ran a finger over some bruises on Ruby's face.

"There was a guard who came in and started beating me up." Ruby said.

"Did he say why?"

Ruby shook her head. Yohane tugged her dress' sleeve. Ruby hesitantly followed Yohane. Yohane waved Dia over as well. She knew Ruby would be scared. If Dia was there, Yohane hoped she could help Ruby a lot better.

"Yō. Can you find some more decent clothing for her." Yohane asked.

"Sure." Yō nodded and went into a bedroom.

Ruby's dress was torn and tattered. There was no way to salvage it. Hanamaru soon joined Yohane in their exam room.

"Thank you." Dia said, "I thought I'd lose her."

"You're welcome. It's really nothing. She's so young. It's unfair for her to go through something like that."


	11. Returning to Normal

After they healed Ruby, Hanamaru wrote a letter and sent it to the Diamond kingdom to tell them that Ruby was safe. After that, they all gathered in the living room to do whatever. Riko was playing with Yō. Yō had bugged her until she finally gave in and played with her. Kanan and Mari were teasing Chika, who was getting really mad at them. Ruby was asleep on Dia's lap on the couch. Yohane was watching the chaos unfold and Hanamaru was reading a book.

"Come on! Stop it!" Chika whined.

"Aww… someone's getting mad." Kanan teased. She lowered the toy that they had been playing with.

Chika pounced on it. Kanan didn't pull it away this time. She knew not to push Chika over. If she did, she'd end up with a lot of scratches all over her body. Kanan was not looking to have that happen.

"You're so funny, Chika." Mari chuckled as she started dragging the toy across the ground for Chika to chase.

"Dia, are you guys gonna leave soon?" Yohane asked.

"I suppose we should." Dia replied.

"Am I going to go with you guys?" Mari asked. Her tone made it obvious what she wanted the answer to be.

"Yes. You are coming with us." Dia stated, "I'm sorry. You need to, though."

"Fine…" Mari frowned.

"Do you have a certain time in mind?" Riko asked.

"Tomorrow." Dia said, "It'll take us a while to get back."

"Alright. I guess that settles it."

DIVIDER--

"Kanan?" Mari crept into the room Kanan was sleeping in.

Kanan sleepily blinked open her eyes, "What?"

"Can I stay with you for tonight?" Mari asked as she silently closed the door.

"Why?" Kanan sat up.

"This is going to be the last time I see you… isn't it?" Mari mumbled as she crawled into the bed next to Kanan.

"You don't know that. Maybe we'll see each other again." Kanan stated, "I'm sure I could visit you."

"This is it. I know it is." Mari sighed, "I'm a princess. You're just a normal citizen. Things won't work out for us."

"What if we could change that?" Kanan asked.

"How?" Mari didn't seem to buy it.

"I… I don't know…" Kanan sighed.

"Can I have this time to just be with you?" Mari asked as she leaned closer and kissed Kanan on the cheek.

"Sure…" Kanan replied.

"I'm leaving. I am not going to be a part of this." Yō growled from the floor.

"You think we're…" Kanan trailed off as she looked at Mari.

Mari gave her a smirk. Kanan looked at Yō. Yō just shrugged and left the room, telling them to be safe. Mari's smirk grew as she realized they were alone. She pinned Kanan to the bed.

"Is this really why you wanted to stay with me?" Kanan asked.

"Maybe?" Mari replied slyly.

"Just don't be too loud." Kanan muttered as she allowed Mari to do as she pleased.

DIVIDER--

When morning came, everyone was gathered outside. Riko was getting the two horses ready to leave. Ruby was shyly standing beside her and looking at everyone. Mari was clinging to Kanan. She didn't want to leave her.

"They're all ready to go, Princess." Riko stated.

"Well, thank you for your hospitality." Dia nodded to Hanamaru and Yohane.

They all started to get on the horses. Riko and Mari were on one and Dia and Ruby would be on the other one. Dia walked over to Kanan.

"Open this in two weeks." Dia pushed a piece of paper into her hand and whispered into her ear.

She walked over and mounted the horse without another word. Kanan stared at her with a confused expression. She glanced down at the paper in her hand. After a few more words, they took off on the horses and left.

"What's that?" Yō asked Kanan.

"I don't know. She told me to open it in two weeks." Kanan shrugged.

"That's strange." Chika commented.

"Are you going to listen to her?" Yohane asked.

"Yeah. I'll wait." Kanan nodded.

"Well, let's go in." Hanamaru opened the door.

"I'm going to take a walk." Kanan stated.

"Alright. Don't be long."

Kanan walked deep into the forest. She sighed as she stared at the paper in her hand. She was very tempted to open it now. Kanan didn't know what Dia could've written. Why was it supposed to stay closed for a while?

Kanan sat down on a fallen tree. She was lost. Mentally lost. Now she was back to who she used to be. Kanan didn't want to go back to her normal life anymore. She wanted to stay with Mari. That wasn't an option any longer. Mari was right. A princess and peasant wouldn't work. There was nothing she could do about it.

Kanan stayed sitting there for a long time, so long that Hanamaru sent Yō to go find her. Yō watched Kanan from the side. She was unsure if she should approach or not.

"Kanan?" Yō decided it was best to go and talk to her, "Are you alright?"

Kanan didn't respond. She stared straight ahead with a blank expression. She was lost in her head. Yō nudged Kanan gently to try and snap her back to reality. It didn't work. Yō stood up on her hind legs and pushed Kanan off the log. Kanan yelped as she fell to the ground.

"Yō?" Kanan mumbled as Yō started licking her face.

"You were lost in thought. You've been gone for a while. We were getting worried," Yō replied.

"Sorry…" Kanan sat up.

"Let's go back." Yō nudged Kanan to her feet.

"You can go back. I'm going to the cemetery." Kanan stated and walked off without another word.

Yō was concerned. Kanan never acted so lifeless before. Yō followed after her as she sent a telepathic message to Hanamaru to let her know everything was okay. Kanan barely acknowledged her presence. She walked into the cemetery and over to the graves of her family. Kanan sat down and stared at the headstones.

"What's wrong?" Yō asked as she nudged Kanan.

"I don't know… I just feel so empty…" Kanan mumbled.

"Is it because Mari is gone?" Yō guessed.

Kanan sighed, "I think so… I love her, Yō. And now she's gone again…"

"Maybe the note will cheer you up?" Yō wondered.

"Maybe…" Kanan looked at the folded paper in her hand.

"Open it?" Yō asked.

Kanan debated it. She wanted to know what was on it. She was curious. But, she was also afraid to open it before the right date. If the message applied to that date alone, Kanan didn't want to be aware of it earlier.

"No…" Kanan shook her head.

"Alright. Come on. Let's head back." Yō pushed Kanan to her feet.

Kanan nodded and followed after Yō. Hanamaru greeted them at the door. It was obvious she was concerned for Kanan. She still looked completely empty inside. Kanan plopped down onto the couch and laid there silently. Yō frowned as she climbed on top of Kanan and laid on her.

Kanan hugged Yō as she pressed her face into her neck fur. Hanamaru walked into Yohane's bedroom and called for Chika to come out. Chika walked out of the room and looked at Hanamaru. Yohane followed behind her with a confused expression.

Hanamaru pointed to Kanan. Chika nodded and ran over to join in the comforting. Yohane and Hanamaru shared sad looks. They felt bad for Kanan. She was suffering a lot.

Chika and Yō kept her company. Kanan held them both in a hug as she accepted their nuzzles and licks.

DIVIDER--

Two weeks had passed extremely slowly for Kanan. She was still empty. Yohane had forbidden her from leaving the house in her state. Kanan didn't even argue like she normally would. She just nodded and then went to lay on the floor next to Yō and cuddle with her. None of them knew what to do to help her feel better.

"Kanan, why don't you open the note?" Yō asked as she nudged Kanan awake.

"Get it, please?" Kanan asked.

"I'll get it!" Chika ran off into Hanamaru's room and grabbed the note. Hanamaru watched her as she left the room.

She walked to the door and watched as Kanan grabbed the note. She slowly unfolded it and read it over. Kanan glanced at Hanamaru.

"Can you call Yohane back?" Kanan asked.

"Sure." Hanamaru nodded and did so.

A few minutes later, Yohane came back into the house. She had been out harvesting some food. She walked over to Kanan and sat beside her on the couch. Kanan handed her the note. Yohane read it over.

"I wonder what she wants…" Yohane mumbled, "This seems really suspicious."

"What is it?" Chika asked.

"It appears Dia wants to meet Kanan tonight. Alone." Yohane stated.

"Alone? Where?" Hanamaru asked as she walked closer to them.

"The starfallen cliff."

"That place? But why?"

"Who knows…"

"Are you going to do it, Kanan?" Yō asked.

Kanan nodded, "Yeah. I'll do it. After all, Dia wrote this. I doubt she'd plan anything to hurt me."

"I guess that's true." Yohane nodded, "Then I'll send you there tonight."

"Okay." Kanan replied.

DIVIDER--

When night fell, Kanan was somewhat back to her normal self. She seemed a lot happier now that she knew what the note was. Kanan had hope that maybe she was going to be asked to stay with Mari.

Yohane stood outside with Kanan. She was preparing the portal for her. She wasn't going with. Kanan had to rely on actual transportation to get out.

"Are you ready?" Yohane asked.

Kanan nodded, "I'm ready."

Yohane made the portal. Kanan took a deep breath and stepped through it. She appeared a little ways in the woods. She walked toward the cliff. Kanan was on high alert for any noises. She clutched her knife in her hand for safety.

Kanan reached the clearing. Dia was already there. She was alone. Kanan took a deep breath and walked out of the woods.


	12. Request

Dia turned around at the rustling of the bushes. Kanan nervously looked at her. She walked over to join Dia by the cliff.

"So…" Kanan didn't know how to start.

"I suppose you're confused." Dia commented.

Kanan nodded, "Yeah… why this date?"

"I have a favor I'd like to ask of you." Dia stated.

"And what would that be?" Kanan asked. She didn't know what to expect from this.

"I'd like you to join the fight against the Shining kingdom." Dia said.

"You're asking me to join your kingdom's army?" Kanan questioned.

"No. I'm asking you to simply aid them." Dia shook her head.

"But why? What do you want me to do?" Kanan knew there was something else behind this.

Dia sighed, "Mari refuses to sit back. She wants to go and confront her mother. I want you to keep her safe."

"So, you want me to become her bodyguard?"

"I guess you could put it that way." Dia nodded.

"Why me?" Kanan asked.

"Because I hope she'd listen to you… she's not very good at making decisions under pressure." Dia sighed.

"Alright. I guess I can." Kanan agreed to the proposal.

She would get to spend time with Mari again. That was fine with her. Dia took Kanan by the wrist and started tugging her down the cliff. Kanan walked beside her, lost in thought.

At the bottom of the mountain, Riko stood. She had been waiting for them to return. The three of them took a slow walk back to the castle. Dia explained to Kanan what was going on and why she wanted to talk to her tonight. The army was set to leave tomorrow morning.

"Riko, can you take Kanan to Mari's room? There's something I have to do." Dia said as they entered the castle.

"Of course." Riko nodded and then led Kanan to where Mari was staying at.

Riko left after showing Kanan to the door. Kanan took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She could hear shuffling coming from inside. Soon enough, the door opened to reveal Mari.

"Kanan?" Mari stared at her with wide eyes.

Kanan nodded, "Yep. I'm back."

"What are you doing here?" Mari asked as she let Kanan in the room.

"Dia asked me to come." Kanan explained, "I'm going with you."

"Oh… she doesn't trust me on my own…" Mari grumbled as she crossed her arms with a huff.

"Can you blame her, though? Your mom wants you dead, Mari. It's dangerous for you to go confront her." Kanan reasoned.

"I can handle myself! I'm not a child!" Mari complained.

"Oh, can you now?" Kanan teased as she suddenly lunged at Mari and held her in an arm lock.

"K-Kanan?" Mari asked.

"If you can handle yourself then you shouldn't have any issue beating me." Kanan stated as she tightened her grip.

Mari struggled against Kanan. She wasn't making any progress. Mari tried everything she knew, but Kanan remained completely unfazed. Mari sighed as she stopped fighting.

"Alright… you win… maybe I can't handle myself…" Mari admitted defeat.

Kanan let her go, "That's why I'm going to be with you."

"One rule. I'm in charge. You have to listen to me." Mari stated.

"I won't listen to you if I think it's a bad idea." Kanan replied.

Mari sighed, "Fair enough…"

Mari sat on her bed and waved Kanan over. Kanan took a seat beside her. Mari smiled as she hugged Kanan. Kanan hugged her back.

"I'm glad you're back." Mari whispered as she let go and laid down.

Kanan laid down beside her, "I'm glad I get to see you again."

"Yeah… goodnight." Mari yawned as she snuggled into Kanan's side.

"Goodnight." Kanan replied as she closed her eyes.

**DIVIDER-- **

The next morning, they were woken by a knock on the door. Kanan detached herself from Mari and went to answer the door. Standing there was Riko.

"I've brought some clothes. These are what you are supposed to wear." Riko handed Kanan two pairs of clothes.

"Alright." Kanan accepted them.

"Be ready at the entrance in half-an-hour." Riko said as she left them.

Kanan walked back over to Mari and shook her awake. Mari groaned and complained about getting up. Kanan sighed and just tossed the clothes she assumed were Mari's on top of her. Mari grumbled as she sat up.

"Get dressed. We have to leave in half-an-hour." Kanan stated as she started changing into her clothes.

She was now wearing an outfit similar to that of the knights. It was not the right colors for the kingdom. It matched the colors Kanan tended to wear. Kanan wondered if Dia had gone to ask for a special outfit for her. Mari was wearing an outfit that looked almost like a dress. It also included pants to wear and boots. The sleeves were long and covered her entire arms. The colors were matching both the Shining kingdom's and the Diamond kingdom's.

"Ready to head out?" Kanan asked, "See what's going on?"

"Sure." Mari nodded and led the way to the front of the castle.

The King and Queen were out there watching the knights prepare for the expedition. Dia and Ruby were also out. Riko wasn't with them. That was surprising. She always seemed to be around one of the princesses.

"There you two are." Dia noticed them first. She walked over to where they stood.

"So, this is the party?" Mari asked as she glanced at the knights.

Dia nodded, "Unfortunately this is all we can send."

"What is the plan, exactly?" Kanan asked.

"Capture the kingdom." Dia stated.

"How?" Mari asked, "What are we doing?"

"Anything you can. Do whatever works." Dia replied.

Mari seemed lost in thought. She was thinking of ways to take control of the kingdom.

"Kanan, Mari is in charge of the army, but… please feel free to override her decisions as you see fit." Dia said as she walked away to go stand beside Ruby again.

Mari pouted at Dia. The knights started calling for everyone to load up. Mari and Kanan were dragged along to two horses. They were in the front. They were going to be leading the army. Kanan couldn't help but wonder how her life had ended up this way. One day she was a thief and the next she was working to overthrow an entire kingdom.

"You ready?" Mari asked as she positioned herself on the horse.

"Ready as I can be." Kanan replied.

"Then let's head out." Mari said.

**DIVIDER-- **

The group stopped when it reached the afternoon. They paused by a small pond and allowed the horses to drink and rest up. Some knights were in charge of making some food for everyone. Mari was scribbling something down on a piece of paper while Kanan was trying her best to organize the knights.

"What're you doing?" Kanan asked as she set a small bowl of soup down next to Mari.

"Thinking of ideas for how to win this fight." Mari replied as she proudly showed Kanan her work.

"I have no idea what any of that means, but okay?" Kanan couldn't make out any of Mari's messy handwriting.

"I… I don't know what it means either, if I'm honest with you… I have no clue what I'm doing." Mari sighed.

"We have time. I'm sure you'll think of something by then." Kanan replied as she handed Mari the soup, "Why don't you take a break and eat?"

Mari set down the paper and took the bowl from Kanan. She stared at it for a while, before hesitantly trying it. Kanan are out of her own bowl beside Mari. They didn't speak at all. They just watched the knights as they worked on fixing everything that needed to be fixed.

"Kanan, do you have any ideas?" Mari asked.

"I feel like you need to eliminate the Queen and King in order to get anywhere. A straightforward attack won't work." Kanan said.

"So… like, send someone to assassinate them?" Mari questioned.

Kanan nodded, "Pretty much. They have their citizens at their disposal. The army might not be made of strong men, but there will be too many men. We'd run out of supplies if we tried to attack them all."

"Do they really have that much power over everyone?" Mari asked.

Kanan sighed and nodded, "Yeah. Unless you wanna die, you do as they say."

"I'll think about it." Mari stated, "I guess we should get ready to move."

"Yeah. I'll tell everyone." Kanan nodded and left to do so.

**DIVIDER-- **

They stopped again just as the moon reached the center of the sky. Everyone put up tents and rested up. They had three guards posted that would change every few hours. Kanan and Mari were sharing a tent. Mari was already asleep. Kanan wasn't ready to go to bed yet. She was debating if she should try and contact Yohane or Hanamaru about what the situation was.

Kanan knew that it was dangerous. Someone could potentially be able to listen in on them and alert the Queen and King. She was wondering about a way to ease their worries without giving away vital information. Kanan didn't know. She decided to just try her best and if she got stuck just say she wasn't allowed to tell them.

"_Hello_?" Kanan reached out, unsure who she would contact.

"_Kanan? Hey. How are you doing_?" Hanamaru was the one who she reached.

"_I'm good. Everything alright back home?_" Kanan asked.

"_Yep. So, what did she want you for?_" Hanamaru questioned.

"_She needed me to help with something._" Kanan explained, "_I'll be gone for a while."_

"_Alright. Well, stay safe_." Hanamaru seemed to know why Kanan wasn't stating anything directly.

"_I'll try my best._" Kanan promised.

Kanan crawled into the makeshift bed next to Mari. Mari snuggled close to her in her sleep. Kanan sighed and closed her eyes. This mission was going to be a long one. It could also be a very deadly one if they messed something up.

**DIVIDER-- **

They continued in the pattern for traveling. They'd start traveling as the sun rose and break when it was the afternoon, then travel until midnight. That pattern broke once they neared the Shining kingdom. They started only traveling at night.

"Kanan? I think I have a plan." Mari stated one day as they were settling down for a rest.

"And what is it?" Kanan asked.

"Send two people to kill the King and Queen. Have a messenger behind them to run back and alert us it is done. We can quickly seize the castle once the knights learn that they are dead." Mari stated.

Kanan thought over the plan, "I guess that might work. I would suggest the assassins take the bodies and show them to the knights as proof."

"Alright. That can work." Mari nodded.

"Any idea as to who you want to send?" Kanan asked.

Mari thought about it, "You are taking the Queen."

Mari had stopped referring to her mom and dad as such. They were now just King and Queen. She wanted no association with them any more.

"What? You… you want me to kill her!?" Kanan's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes. You will be in charge of that." Mari nodded, "The highest ranking knight in this group will take the King."

"Mari, I don't thi-"

"Are you refusing my order, Kanan?" Mari cut her off, "That is an order. You are assassinating the Queen."

"But… but why me? I'm not a kn-"

"I told you already. This is an order. I'm in charge, you do as I say." Mari glared at Kanan.

"I told you I'd refuse if I felt they weren't appropriate. This is one of them." Kanan stated.

Mari sighed, "Fine then. I'll do it myself if you won't."

"Wait! I… I'll do it." Kanan cursed herself for falling into the trap.

"Good. I suggest you figure out the way you're going to do it. I'm not picky." Mari smirked in triumph.

Kanan sighed as she resigned to her fate. She was going to have to assassinate the Queen. Kanan was scared. This was a lot harder to do. She got to work thinking of a plan to use. Mari left to go inform the rest of the party about the plan.


	13. Death to the Queen and Traitors

Kanan slept restlessly that day. She couldn't get the horrid scenarios of her dying out of her head. If she failed to kill the Queen, she was going to be killed. Kanan was having nightmares about all the different ways she might die. Mari was aware of this. She had been woken up by Kanan kicking her.

Mari pulled her into a hug and started humming a quiet tune. It always helped her calm down when she had a nightmare, so she hoped it could do the same for Kanan. Kanan's thrashing slowly decreased and she settled down again. Mari let out a sigh of relief and tucked Kanan back under the blanket she had kicked off during her thrashing.

That was the first of many nightmares. Mari constantly was kicked or punched awake by Kanan. She would always quickly hug her and hum that tune. Sure, it was a bit annoying, but Mari wasn't about to wake her up and yell at her for something out of her control.

By the time night finally fell, Kanan had settled into a peaceful sleep. Mari woke her up. Kanan stared at Mari. She had no idea if her nightmares had woken Mari.

"Rough sleep, huh?" Mari asked as she combed Kanan's hair.

"Sorry…" Kanan apologized.

"It's okay. You alright, though? That was a pretty bad nightmare, or was it nightmares?" Mari replied.

"Nightmares…" Kanan sighed, "I'm fine. It's stupid."

"It is not." Mari protested.

"You guys ready to pack up?" A knight asked from outside.

"Yeah." Mari stood up.

Kanan followed her and they started packing up their supplies. It took a few minutes before everyone was ready to set out again. Mari and Kanan took the lead as always. They were almost there. Soon, the battle would start. Kanan was anything but ready for it.

**DIVIDER-- **

As they traveled, Kanan continued to think of what she could do to succeed. She was debating if asking for assistance would be a good idea. She didn't know if Yohane or Hanamaru would come to help. She also didn't know if it was wise to see if Yō could be teleported and aid her. Kanan felt this was something she had to do on her own.

"We've reached the spot. We'll be camping out here until it is time to raid."

"Alright. Rest up. Tonight we will start." Mari ordered.

The set the work setting up their tents. A few knights were in charge of cooking. Others were sharpening everyone's weapons. Kanan took a seat on a cut down tree stump. She was not ready at all for the task at hand. She was still trying to prepare herself for it the best she could.

Mari sat beside her, "Hey. How's it going?"

"I'm fine… just nervous…" Kanan replied.

"Is this about…" Mari didn't finish her sentence.

Kanan nodded, "Yeah…"

"Does that have anything to do with the nightmares you were having?" Mari questioned.

"Yeah… I'm just, I don't know, scared… I don't wanna do this." Kanan stated.

"I know you don't. But, I really think you should do this. I just have that feeling." Mari replied as she squeezed Kanan's hand reassuringly.

"I don't have that feeling…" Kanan mumbled.

"If you don't want to, I won't force you. I'll choose someone else if you really don't want to do it." Mari said.

Kanan thought about it. She would be able to stay with Mari if she didn't go. But, she didn't know if they could trust the knights. Kanan had a few worries about some of them. That was why she was hesitant to do either. If she left Mari, one of the knights might turn and kill her. If she didn't go, the Queen might live.

"I'm supposed to be protecting you. If I'm going, you have to accompany me." Kanan stated. She had made up her mind.

Mari's eyes widened, "You… you'll do it? But, only if I come with you?"

Kanan nodded, "Yes. You have to stay with me."

"Why?" Mari asked.

Kanan leaned in and whispered into Mari's ear, "I fear some of the knights are traitors."

"Really?" Mari whispered back.

Kanan nodded. Mari frowned at that. She couldn't believe that some of the knights might be working for the Shining kingdom.

"If you find any evidence, eliminate them." Mari ordered, "We have no room for those who aren't loyal."

Kanan nodded, "As you wish."

"I guess we should go to bed, huh?" Mari asked, "Unless you are hungry."

"I'm not… I don't think I can eat…" Kanan sighed.

"That nervous, huh?" Mari pursed her lips.

Kanan nodded. Mari took her by the hand and led her to their tent. She sat down on their blankets and patted the area beside her. Kanan sat down next to her.

"Get some rest." Mari said.

Kanan laid down and tried to sleep. She didn't know if she would have nightmares again. Mari played with Kanan's hair. Kanan let out a soft sigh as she drifted off. Mari stayed up for a while longer. She wasn't ready to sleep yet. She just wanted Kanan to rest since yesterday wasn't very kind to her.

Mari couldn't help but wonder just what would happen when they launched the attack. If there truly were traitors among them, this could end in a very different way. Mari didn't know what to do. She had no clue how to man an army. She was going into this completely blind. Thankfully, Kanan was able to take control and help out as needed.

Mari wondered what would have happened if she had done this alone. She couldn't shake off the thought that she'd already be dead. She was no match for any of the knights. If any of them tried, they could easily kill her. Mari shivered at the thought.

After a while, she laid down beside Kanan. She also would need her rest. She was going to be on the front lines along with Kanan. She was scared. Mari understood why Kanan was afraid to do it. She was just as afraid, but she knew it needed to be done.

**DIVIDER-- **

When night fell, everyone was up and getting ready to go. Kanan was tending to the horses her and Mari would be taking. Mari was watching the knights. She couldn't see anyone who looked suspicious.

"Ready?" Kanan asked.

"Yeah. Where's the runner?" Mari asked in return.

"I'll get him." Kanan said.

Soon enough, the three of them were off. Kanan was keeping a very close eye on the runner. If he tried anything, Kanan was ready to stop him. She had her knife ready. The plan was to shoot a few arrows into the Queen.

"This is the place." Kanan stated and got off of her horse.

Mari followed. The runner stayed on his horse. Kanan got her bow ready to fire. Mari watched for signs of anyone besides the ones already in the area. They didn't want too many witnesses. Someone might get brave enough to try and find the killers.

"I'm gonna shoot." Kanan whispered.

She pulled back the string and lined up her shot. After a few seconds, she let go. The arrow hit its mark. Kanan quickly got another one ready and shot it as well. Panic set in. The people around the Queen ran away in fear. The Queen fell to the ground. She was going to die.

"It's done. Go and-" The runner held a knife to Kanan as she turned to speak to him.

"Thanks for ridding us of the Queen. But, we aren't letting you take control." The runner smiled as he swung the knife at Kanan.

It cut into her cheek. Kanan bit her tongue to stop a cry from coming out. As the runner was preparing to swing it again, and arrow embedded itself into his side. He fell to the ground. Kanan looked over to see that Mari had been the one to shoot him.

Mari grabbed something from her horse. It was a cloth. She pressed it to Kanan's face. Kanan held it there as they walked down to the Queen's body. She had died. Kanan couldn't carry her with one arm.

"I think taking her head is enough." Mari stated as she grabbed a discarded sword.

"Alright." Kanan agreed.

Mari sliced her head off and then picked it up by the hair. They carried it to the knights' housing area.

"Throw it in." Kanan stated, "I don't trust there not to be rebels."

Mari tossed the head into the center of the housing. The knights screamed in fear. Suddenly, the King's body was tossed in as well. Kanan and Mari smiled. At least that went as planned. The knights started to cower as Kanan and Mari made their way down to them. Kanan grabbed a sword.

They held them at the knights, "Surrender."

Most knights held up their hands. They didn't have a ruler to fight for anymore. A few refused. Kanan responded by killing them. Mari stood before the knights and spoke to them.

"I am the rightful leader of this kingdom now. Anyone who opposes that, you can either leave this land or die." Mari stated.

A few knights packed their things up and left. Some whispered amongst themselves. One tried to charge, but Kanan quickly killed him. Soon, the knights had dwindled down to only a few.

"You are to remain here and protect the castle until I return." Mari ordered, "I find out you disobeyed, I will not hesitate to have you publicly executed."

The knights left to do as they had been ordered. Kanan and Mari left to go see how their party was doing. They loaded back onto their horses and rode to the camp. They were not expecting what they saw.

There were knights lying in piles of blood. A few knights still remained.

"What happened?" Kanan asked them.

"They were all traitors. We killed them." One of the knights responded.

"Good." Mari praised, "Now, let us pack up and start back. The kingdom is mine."

The remaining knights nodded. Mari pulled Kanan away and to their tent. She pulled out the small sack of medical supplies she had been given. Mari did her best to fix Kanan's cut. Once that was dealt with, they packed up their tent. Within an hour, they were all ready to set out.

The expedition back would be long. Kanan sent out a small message to Hanamaru that they had succeeded in their task. Hanamaru was happy and wished her a safe return.

They had no idea that they had even more to deal with once they returned. The battles weren't over quite yet.


	14. A New Problem

"Princess? You called?" Riko knocked on the door to Dia's room.

"Come in." Dia called from the other side.

Riko opened the door and stepped into the room, "Is everything alright, Princess?"

"Close the door." Dia ordered, "And yes, everything is fine."

Riko shut the door quietly and then stood in front of where Dia sat on her bed. Dia looked her over. Riko tried to keep her composure. She was afraid she had a problem with her outfit. The kingdom took pride in being very neat. A single flaw in an outfit was enough for a punishment to be dealt out.

"I'm bored." Dia stated.

"And what do you want me to do about that?" Riko asked.

She only ever used the title "Princess" around other people. Once they were alone, Riko would only ever call Dia by her name. The formalities were something both of them hated immensely.

"I think you know what I want." Dia replied as she stood up from the bed.

Riko flushed red as Dia moved closer to her. Dia smiled as she kissed Riko on the lips. They hugged each other and moved closer. Dia backed Riko into her dresser. Riko gripped the back of Dia's shirt tightly. Just as they were going to get a little more dirty, the door to the room opened up.

"I knew it!"

Dia and Riko jumped apart. Standing at the door was the King. He glared at them, but mainly at Riko.

"S-sir… I-I…" Riko started trying to talk.

"Don't bother." The King cut her off, "I cannot believe you. This behavior is unacceptable."

Dia stood in front of Riko, "Why are you only blaming her?"

"This is not something you are a part of." Dia was shoved to the side.

"But-"

"No buts." He cut her off and grabbed Riko.

"What are you doing?" Dia asked.

Her and Riko made eye contact. Riko's eyes were filled with fear. Dia's were the same, but also filled with concern.

"You know what happens to those who break the rules."

"But you said-" Dia tried to defend Riko.

"She is not appropriate." The King cut her off, "She'll spend the rest of her life in the dungeon."

"You can't do that!"

"I can do as I please. You have no control." The King stated as he drug Riko out of the room.

Riko managed to look at Dia one last time before she was taken away. Dia met her gaze with a pained expression.

DIVIDER--

After the long travel, the small party made it back to the castle. They were greeted by the King and Queen. Ruby was also outside to see them. Dia was nowhere to be found.

"Dinner will be served in an hour. Why don't you get cleaned up." The Queen said, "Ruby, show them to the bathing room, please."

Ruby nodded and led Kanan and Mari away. She paused at a door.

"Here." Ruby quickly left them after that.

Kanan and Mari exchanged glances as they stepped inside. The bathing room was simply a room built over a river that ran through the kingdom. Mari and Kanan undressed and walked into the main area. They paused when they saw someone else was there.

Dia was sitting in the river. She didn't respond when Mari called out to her. Mari and Kanan hesitantly approached her. Dia didn't look their way at all. She remained staring at the wall, lost in her head.

Mari tapped Dia on the shoulder, "Dia?"

"Leave me alone." Dia finally acknowledged them, but not in the way they had wanted her to.

"What's wrong?" Mari asked as she sat down beside her.

Kanan took a seat on the opposite side. Dia didn't reply. She continued to stare blankly ahead. Kanan and Mari exchanged worried glances.

"Dia, come on. What's bothering you?" Mari pestered.

"Dad found out…" Dia whispered.

Mari didn't understand, "Found out what?"

"Me and Riko…"

"What happened?" Mari rested her arm around Dia's shoulders.

"He threw her in the dungeon… he won't let me see her now…" Dia started crying.

"But why? He said-"

"Don't."

"But, I want an explanation." Mari stated.

"I don't have one." Dia replied tartly.

"So… he locked her up? But, why?" Kanan asked.

Dia shrugged, "I don't know…"

"Well, we can talk more about this later. Dinner will be done soon. I don't think they'd like if we were late." Mari said.

"Alright… though, I don't see what more there is to talk about…"

"How to fix this. It's unfair what he's doing." Mari replied.

"Mari, he can do whatever he wants. You won't change his mind." Dia tried to explain.

"I won't take it. I'll figure out something." Mari stated confidently.

"You never give up, do you?" Kanan sighed.

"You guys don't care about our relationship?" Dia asked.

"Of course not. If she makes you happy, then she's the one for you. No one should tell you otherwise unless the relationship is turning abusive." Mari stated.

"Yeah… it's your life. I don't understand why people hate people like us all so much. If you love her, you should be able to date her." Kanan added.

"What happened to your cheek?" Dia asked as she looked Kanan over.

"Some of the knights were traitors… one of 'em got me there." Kanan replied.

"Traitors? Where are they now?" Dia's eyes widened with concern.

"Dead. I killed the one who attacked us and the loyal knights killed the rest." Mari stated.

"That's good. Traitors are not what we need right now."

The three of them talked about the trip as they bathed. Soon enough, they got out and into clean clothes. By then, dinner was almost ready. They were led to the dinning hall and sat down. They explained what had occurred on the trip while they ate.

Once dinner was over, everyone still hung around to talk. Dia excused herself and left under the statement she was tired. Kanan looked at Mari and nodded. They both asked to leave and get some rest from the traveling. They were allowed to go.

Mari led the way to Dia's room. She knocked on the door and announced them. After a few seconds, Dia called them in. They came in and sat beside Dia on the bed.

"This has really affected you, huh?" Mari asked.

"What do you think?" Dia grumbled back.

"So, this is what you guys left for."

They looked at the door. The King was back.

"Can't we come talk to her before bed?" Mari defended.

"I know why you're here. It's about that girl." The King stated.

"Why can't you let them be together?" Kanan asked.

"It is not okay. She is not royal. She can't be the one."

"I love Kanan. I can marry her if I want. I don't care if she's just a normal citizen." Mari piped up.

"You won't have an heir then." The King stated.

"Actually, I have friends who can make it happen." Kanan stated.

"She is not going to be with her. That is final."

"What are you gonna do if she refuses to marry anyone else?" Mari asked.

"She will do as I say. Now, I suggest you get to bed." The King growled and walked off.

"Dia-"

"Just go. This matter is over." Dia pointed to the door.

Mari and Kanan looked at each other and then left the room. They both sighed. This was a tough situation to deal with. Mari walked off in hurried manner. Kanan followed after her. She was unsure where she was going.

It took only a few minutes for Kanan to figure that out. Mari was going to dungeon. Kanan could barely keep pace with her. Mari was very determined. They entered the dungeon room with no problems. No one dared to question them at all.

Mari glanced at a board. It had the location of everyone in the cells. She found where Riko was and started off in that direction. Kanan followed after her. Mari didn't acknowledge her at all. She was solely focused on Riko.

As they neared the cell, they paused. There was talking coming from it or close to it. Mari crept forward until she could see what was going on. She let out a gasp and pulled back. Kanan looked at Mari with concern.

"They're whipping her." Mari whispered.

"Can you make out what they're saying?" Kanan asked quietly.

"He's yelling at her for loving Dia. He… he isn't okay with… with same gender relationships…" Mari looked at Kanan was worry in her eyes. That news wasn't good at all.

Mari turned back and continued to watch the scene unfold and repeat it all to Kanan. Riko was being whipped for disobedience, as the King put it. She was under oath to serve the kingdom, and, to him, loving Dia was breaking that oath.

Mari suddenly went pale and froze in place. Kanan tapped her on the shoulder to try and snap her out of it. Mari turned to look at Kanan. Her facial expression wasn't a good one.

"He's trying to make her realize she loves men… the knight is… touching her…" Mari gulped as she explained the problem to Kanan.

"Oh shit… that's not good at all…" Kanan soon shared the same expression.

Neither of them knew what to do. They didn't want to just leave. They couldn't bear to leave Riko. Both of them were worried.

A quiet sound of footsteps echoed from the hall. Kanan and Mari froze. If it was a knight, they'd be caught. Thankfully, when the figure came into view, they saw it was just Dia. Dia eyed them as she came closer.

"What's going on? Why are you down here?" Dia whispered.

"I wanted to see Riko." Mari stated, "Unfortunately, that isn't happening…"

"Why? Who's with her?" Dia demanded.

"Your dad and a knight." Kanan replied.

"What are they doing to her?" Dia grew more and more worried.

"I don't think you want to know." Mari stated as she tried to block Dia from looking.

"Let me see." Dia demanded.

"Dia, they're… they're uh, doing… sexual things to her." Kanan said as she pulled her away from the corner.

"What? Let me go." Dia growled as she struggled against Kanan's grip on her nightgown. She was beyond pissed at that.

"Dia, please. You running in there will just make it worse." Mari stated.

"I can't let them do that. Let me go." Dia shook her head.

Kanan tightened her grip on Dia, "No. You'll do something you'll regret."

"Kanan is right. This isn't going to work for us. We should go. We can discuss this in private." Mari nodded.

"No." Dia managed to get out of Kanan's grip, "I refuse to allow this."

They both gulped as Dia walked out into view. Mari wasn't able to grab her and keep her back. All noise stopped except for sobs coming from Riko. It seemed like time was standing still.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her." The King growled.

"I'm not going to. Especially if you're doing this to her!" Dia yelled at him.

"Pesky little brat…" The King grumbled, "Please escort her out of here."

"No. I will not stand for this! What has she done to deserve this!?" Dia wasn't backing down.

"I don't care about you. I only care about what's best for the kingdom. This pest isn't good for us." The King met her tone.

"You care more about Ruby than you do about me! Why!? What did I ever do to you!? Why can't I have something that makes me happy!?" Dia was getting upset.

"Because you aren't my child."

"What?"

"You're illegitimate. But you know how badly that would hurt our reputation. So, we pretended like we had you. You're the result of an affair. Your mother was drunk and so was the peasant. You aren't my child, so why should I care about you?"

Mari and Kanan looked at each other in shock. That news was not what they had wanted to hear.

"I'm… I'm not… I'm not a pureblood…"

"Indeed you are not. Knight, I want you to lock her up. Why not let them spend their last days together. We'll privately execute them and say disease took their lives." The King ordered.

Dia let out a yelp and tried to run. The knight easily caught and restrained her. Mari hesitantly peered around the corner to see the scene. She locked eyes with Dia. Dia mouthed for them to leave. Mari frowned and then grabbed Kanan by the hand and quickly left the room.

They hurried to their room. They both sat on the bed. Neither knew what to say about what they had just seen.

"Rest up, Mari. Early morning, when it's still dark, we're breaking them out and running." Kanan stated.

"But how? They'll easily find us!" Mari asked.

"I'm going to request some assistance. You can rest. I can do this part myself." Kanan replied.

"Okay…" Mari agreed and crawled into the bed. She tried her best to sleep.

Kanan reached out to Yohane, "Hey, can you hear me?"

"Yeah. What's up?" Yohane answered despite the lateness.

"There's something I need you to do for me." Kanan explained.

"What is it? Did you get lost or something?" Yohane asked.

"No. We're at the castle. The Diamond one. We just found out something. Apparently Dia isn't a pure blooded royal. She was the result of a drunken affair the Queen had with a peasant." Kanan started off.

"Seriously? What's the problem?"

"The King locked her and Riko up. He's planning to privately execute them. I need you to be ready with a portal by the back gates. Early morning we're going to break them out." Kanan finished.

"Okay. Tell me when you do it. I'll be there waiting then." Yohane agreed to the request.

"Thank you. Will Hanamaru mind if they have to live with us for a bit. I know she was always tense around them before."

"She can live. I'm sure she'd understand given the circumstances."

"Okay. Bye." Kanan cut off the connection.

She settled down beside Mari and stared up at the ceiling. Her life never seemed to stop being hectic ever since she first met Mari. Kanan hoped after this, she would finally get a break. She stayed awake.


	15. Break Out

Kanan woke Mari up when she felt it was time. She sent out a message to Yohane to alert her they were going to do it now. Yohane wished them luck and said she'd be waiting for them.

Kanan and Mari snuck out of their room and down the hall. Mari led the way to the dungeon. They both prayed there wouldn't be a guard at the moment. That would cause this mission to become even more difficult than it already was.

They didn't see a guard. That was a relief. They hurried down to the cell where Dia and Riko were being kept. They made sure to be extremely quiet. They had no clue if there was a guard at their cell. Mari peered around the corner to look. She shook her head and Kanan. There was not a guard there.

They slowly walked into the open. Dia was still awake. Her eyes widened as she saw them. Mari held a finger to her lips as she picked the lock on the door. Kanan kept watch for any movement from a guard. Mari walked into the cell and started cutting away the ropes restraining Dia.

She soon was free. Dia made her way over to where Riko was tied up. She was unconscious and covered in blood and bruises. Mari frowned at the sight. Riko looked horrible. Mari cut away the ropes. Dia picked Riko up and cradled her close in a worried manner. They left the cell. Kanan motioned for them to follow her.

They snuck out a back passageway. Yohane was waiting where she said she would be. Her eyes widened at the sight of Riko. She was shocked by her state as well. Yohane took a deep breath and formed a portal. Kanan went in first. Dia stepped through next. Mari and Yohane went through at the same time.

They reappeared at the house. Kanan opened the door. Dia walked inside. Hanamaru was waiting for them at the entrance. She let out a gasp and ran toward Dia.

"What happened to her?" Hanamaru asked as she took Riko from Dia.

"They tortured her in front of me… they whipped her… stabbed her… punched her… and raped her…" Dia whispered, "She took my punishment as well…"

Mari pulled Dia close to her. Dia hugged Mari. Hanamaru and Yohane left the room with Riko to go and heal her. Yō and Chika came out into the living room and walked up to Kanan. Kanan bent down and pet them.

"Why don't you all get some rest? By morning she'll be fine." Yohane came back into the room.

The three of them looked at each other. They didn't know what arrangement they should make. It was obvious that someone should stay with Dia.

"You two can stay together. I'll sleep by myself." Kanan stated.

Mari took Dia into one of the rooms. Chika ran after them. Kanan and Yō went to a different room for the night. Yohane went back to help Hanamaru.

DIVIDER--

That morning, everyone woke up pretty late. Kanan was the first one to get out of bed. Her and Yō went to see if anyone else was awake yet. It didn't appear that way.

"Can we go see Riko?" Yō asked.

Kanan shrugged. Yō walked over to the door and opened it up. She walked inside. Kanan followed after her. Riko was lying on a small makeshift bed. She wasn't awake. Her wounds looked a lot better than they did earlier.

"Morning, Kanan, Yō." A voice called from behind them

They turned around to see Hanamaru was entering the room. They said good morning back to her. Hanamaru walked over to Riko and examined her.

"She seems better. Some of those wounds were pretty nasty." Hanamaru commented.

"I can't believe them… she's still only a child. Why would they hurt her like that?" Yō whined.

"You think royalty cares about age? If they're deemed a threat, they'll be removed no matter what." Kanan grumbled.

"But why is she deemed that?" Yō asked, "I don't get it."

"I don't really get it either. I feel it's really just because the King doesn't like people who like the same sex. He hates them." Kanan guessed.

"And why is Dia also a threat?"

"She isn't a pure blooded royal. If that's found out, you know what the townsfolk might do." Kanan said.

They were going to talk more, when Riko groaned. She was waking up. Hanamaru stepped back. She pushed Kanan forward. She wanted Kanan to be the one to talk to her.

Riko opened her eyes. She stared at Kanan with a confused look. Kanan carefully helped her into a sitting position. Riko winced in pain every now and then.

"Where am I?" Riko asked as she leaned into Kanan to regain her balance.

"At our house. You're safe now." Kanan said as she wrapped an arm around Riko to steady her.

"Thank you… I thought I was gonna die…" Riko cried as she hugged Kanan, "It was so painful…"

"Are you feeling better now?" Kanan asked as she hugged Riko back.

"Yeah… just… down there…" Riko winced.

"I'm sorry. We can't really heal the pain down there." Hanamaru apologized.

Riko looked over at Hanamaru, "It's okay..."

"I'm sure if they need to, they could ease the pain, so don't worry. If it gets too much just say something." Kanan stated. Hanamaru nodded in agreement.

"Where's Dia?" Riko asked.

"I'm assuming she's still asleep." Hanamaru replied.

"Do you want me to go get her?" Yō asked.

They all looked at Riko for an answer. Riko hesitantly nodded. Yō left the room and went to go wake up Dia and Mari.

"How are you feeling? You don't feel ill or dizzy, right?" Kanan asked.

"I'm okay... it's just a little bit of pain." Riko replied.

"Just let us know if it gets worse, alright?" Hanamaru said.

Riko nodded, "Alright."

Yō walked back into the room with Chika on her back. Dia and Mari were behind her. Yohane also came in the room moments later. Dia walked over to Riko and hugged her. Riko hugged her back.

"Are you okay?" Dia asked as she planted a kiss onto Riko's forehead.

Riko nodded, "I'm fine…"

"So… what are we gonna do now?" Chika asked, "They're kinda fugitives now, aren't they?"

"I guess they are."

"Let me see if I can get any news about the escape." Yohane stepped out of the room for a minute.

"Thank you for helping us." Dia said.

"It's nothing."

"What are we gon… uh, going to do now?" Riko asked.

"I'm not sure. It depends on what their retaliation will be." Mari stated, "Something tells me we might soon be regular citizens."

"You think they'll take over your kingdom?" Riko asked.

Mari nodded, "Kanan and I vanished at the same time you guys did. They'll put it together. They just are going to the wrong place."

"Oh… I guess that makes sense." Riko sighed.

Yohane came back into the room. Everyone looked at her and waited for the news. This was the deciding factor for what would be the plan.

"They've noticed. It's a secret only the castle knows. They're going to search around." Yohane stated, "Mari, they're…"

"I assumed as much. It's fine. I don't care if I lose the kingdom." Mari stated in reply.

"I guess we have some new residents in the house." Chika said as she jumped up onto the bed. She carefully moved and laid down on Riko's lap.

Yohane nodded, "I guess we do."

"We're allowed to stay?" Dia and Riko asked at the same time.

Hanamaru nodded, "Of course. Where else would you go? You're wanted."

"Thank you."

DIVIDER--

Toward the afternoon, things got complicated. Kanan and Yohane went out to go shop around town. They froze when they saw soldiers. Diamond kingdom soldiers.

"What are they doing here?" Yohane whispered.

"What if they know? They came here before. They might assume they're hiding out with us here." Kanan worried.

"Let's keep an eye on them." Yohane replied as she climbed up a tree.

Kanan climbed up a different tree. They kept a close eye on the soldiers as they searched through the town. They both prayed they'd leave without causing any harm.

"We're looking for a runaway. Her name is Sakurauchi Riko. She has taken Princess Dia with her. If you have any info, please tell us now."

Kanan and Yohane shared worried looks. This situation wasn't looking good for them.

"They visited the witch's house before. Maybe they're there?" A villager said.

"And where is that at?"

Kanan and Yohane jumped down from the trees and started to run back to the house. Kanan paused suddenly. Yohane looked back at her in confusion.

"Kanan?" Yohane walked over to her.

"We can't both go back." Kanan stated, "It's better if someone tries to distract them."

"Yeah… I guess there is nowhere to really go without magic…" Yohane nodded.

"I'll do it. You should go back." Kanan stated.

Yohane shook her head, "You go back. You're faster than I am."

"But-"

"I can go places you can't."

"Please stay safe. They'll kill you if they find you." Kanan said.

"I'll try." Yohane promised. The thought of dying wasn't pleasant.

Kanan took off running toward the house to tell everyone the news. Yohane listened for sounds. She was going to let the knights see her and hopefully they would chase her. It didn't take long for her to hear the footsteps and sounds of their armor.

The knights came into view. Yohane stood her ground and stared at them. The didn't pay her much mind and ignored her. Yohane growled and cast a small burst of magic at them. That got their attention. They shouted curses about her being a witch and ran at her. Yohane ran away into the forest. She knew her way around very well. But, the nearest hiding spot was a bit of a run from where she was at, at the moment.

Yohane was easily outpacing them. She had faith she could make it and hide. That faith wasn't enough, though. Yohane was able to see where the spot was. There was no way for the knights to follow her through the thick forest. She was skinny enough to fit through the dense trees with ease.

Just before she reached it, an arrow found its way through her. Yohane coughed up blood as she fell to the ground. She was done for. She had known that this was probably going to be the outcome, as much as she hoped she could've made it and hidden. The knights stood over her. A second arrow pierced through Yohane's heart.

DIVIDER--

Kanan reached the house quickly. She was panting heavily as she rushed inside. Yō quickly jumped up and ran over to her.

"What's wrong?" Yō whined.

"There's knights… they're coming here… Yohane's trying to distract them, but who knows if there's more." Kanan panted.

Yō ran off and went to inform Hanamaru of the problem. Hanamaru opened up a secret room and ushered everyone into it. Kanan refused and said she was going to help Yohane. Just as Kanan was going to leave. Hanamaru suddenly let out a shriek and fell to her knees.

Kanan and Yō were instantly by her side. They knew what that meant. Hanamaru and Yohane had a connection. They could feel each other's pain.

"Maru? What are you feeling?" Kanan asked.

Chika nuzzled herself into Hanamaru's legs. Mari, Riko, and Dia stood close by and watched with concern.

"She… she's been hit… in her stomach…" Hanamaru gasped out.

"Fuck." Kanan cursed.

Hanamaru suddenly let out another shriek and fell to the ground. She writhed around in pain.

"Maru?" Yō whined as she tried to keep her still.

Hanamaru was crying as immense pain overcame her senses. She had never felt such pain before in her life. It was scary.

"H-heart…" Hanamaru managed to mumble before she collapsed from the pain. Even if it wasn't really happening to her, it still hurt just like a regular wound would.

At that announcement, Kanan ran out of the house. Yō ran after her. Chika licked Hanamaru's face and tried to help her.

"Pick her up and lay her on the bed." Chika ordered.

Dia did so. Chika jumped up and sat beside Hanamaru. Hanamaru was crying. They all weren't sure from what. It could be from the pain or it could be from what she knew had happened to Yohane.

DIVIDER--

Kanan and Yō ran through the woods. Yō picked up on Yohane's scent and was leading the way to her. As they neared the place, they heard talking. The knights were still there.

"Yō, this is the one time I'll let you kill someone." Kanan stated as she grabbed her knife tightly, "They all need to go."

Yō nodded and got into a stalking stance. Once Kanan gave the signal, they would attack. Kanan was filled with rage at the sight of what they were doing. The knights were jeering and kicking Yohane's body. The arrows had been removed from her body, but their marks were easy to see.

"Now." Kanan said.

Yō charged out of the brush with a snarl. The knights screamed. Yō's teeth found their way into one of knight's necks. Kanan ran out and sunk her knife into another knight's neck. There was one more knight left. Yō took care of them easily.

Kanan knelt down beside Yohane's body. Kanan turned her over so she was lying on her back. Yō ran over and started licking Yohane's face. Yohane didn't respond to it.

Kanan looked at Yō and shook her head, "It's too late…"

Yō let out a cry and buried her face into Yohane's hair. Kanan frowned and pet Yō. They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Kanan convinced Yō they should head back. Kanan picked up Yohane's body and started walking back. Yō walked beside her with her tail completely dragging across the ground. Her ears were flat against her head.

Neither were looking forward to having to go back. The reactions wouldn't be good.

"It's not your fault, Kanan… I know you blame yourself, but it's not." Yō said, "She knew the risks."

"I should've been the one distracting them…"

"What more could you have done? There wasn't anywhere to run. It was basically a suicide mission." Yō stated.

Kanan stopped walking, "What?"

"There's a reason she did it… she knew one of you would end up dead. She rathered it was her than you." Yō replied, "You really thought there was anywhere to hide? Even the places they can't fit aren't safe. Not with those weapons."

Kanan started walking again. She said nothing more the entire walk.


	16. Lost and Returned

Kanan and Yō entered the house. They went into the secret room. Yō went first. Kanan hung back. She wasn't ready to face them yet.

"Hey. You're bloody!" Chika yelped at the sight of Yō.

"It's the knights', not mine." Yō reassured her.

"Where're Kanan and Yohane?" Hanamaru asked.

Kanan took a deep breath and walked into the room. All eyes locked on her. The room went deathly silent.

"Y-Yohane…" Hanamaru started crying as she ran over to them.

She took Yohane from Kanan and held her close. Kanan hugged her as she started sobbing again. Yō was comforting Chika. She was upset as well.

Kanan took Yohane back from Hanamaru and set her on the bed in the room. Kanan then pulled Hanamaru into a hug and let her cry.

"We should start prepping her. We might not have a lot of time."

"I'll go sniff around to see if there are any more knights." Yō stated.

"Let me come with you!" Chika climbed in Yō's back. She needed a distraction.

Yō and Chika went to patrol the forest to see if any more knights were coming for them. Kanan slowly released Hanamaru from the hug.

"You're going to get her ready for burial?" Riko asked.

"Yeah."

Hanamaru went and started grabbing the incense she would use. Kanan helped her with it. It didn't take long for her body to be ready. They couldn't clean her up from the blood. It was too risky to go out and do so. Kanan carried Yohane to the small patch of land for burying things.

Hanamaru used her magic to make a hole for her. Kanan set her down in it and then Hanamaru sealed it up again. The five of them -Hanamaru, Kanan, Mari, Riko, and Dia- all stood silently. They all prayed a small prayer and then went back inside the house.

"What are we going to do? They'll be after us until you guys are found…" Kanan sighed.

"They probably only need me." Riko stated.

"Why is that?" Dia asked.

"Because, they could lie and say I had killed you… they don't need us both." Riko replied.

"You aren't doing it. You're not turning yourself in." Dia stated firmly.

"But, it would be easier…" Riko mumbled.

"It might be. But, what good will it really do?" Mari asked.

"They'll still search for me. It'll just be in secret." Dia stated, "This isn't going to be solved so easily."

"How are we going to solve it?"

"We may be starting another riot." Kanan stated.

Everyone looked at her with wide eyes, "What?"

"Look, the only way things are going to get better is if we get the citizens on our side." Kanan explained, "If they rise up, we could take control. It's the only thing left. Talking isn't going to work."

"That will be hard."

"We have insiders, though. You guys know a lot more about the knights than we do."

"I guess that's true…"

"For now, we should wait until things die down."

"Of course."

DIVIDER--

Chika and Yō came back a while later. They informed everyone that there were no other knights around. They were all gone. The three that had been killed were the only ones left. Everyone was very relieved by that. Everyone was very silent for the most part.

It was tough with losing Yohane. No one really knew what to do. Hanamaru had locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Yō had managed to get in with her. Chika was curled up with Kanan on the couch. Mari was sitting beside Kanan. Dia was sitting on the floor, staring off into space. Riko was asleep with her head resting on Dia's lap. Dia was brushing her hair absentmindedly.

"What are we gonna do?" Chika asked, "We can't just sit here and do nothing."

"There's nothing we can do right now." Kanan stated.

"I'm going out for a walk. I need some air." Chika hopped off of Kanan's lap and headed out the door.

Chika wandered through the woods. She had no idea where she wanted to go. She just needed to get out. She felt empty without Yohane. It was like a part of her died when she did. Chika wasn't sure if that was actually what happened. She was surprised she was still able to talk despite Yohane being gone. She had thought the magic would have left her.

Chika wandered toward the town. She didn't know where else to go. As she neared, she heard talking. It sounded like a very strict person. Chika gulped and ran toward where the noise was coming from. She was worried the knights had come back.

She was right. There were more knights now. They also had the bodies of the killed knights. Chika froze when she saw that there were two knight groups. One of them was from a far away kingdom. The Snow kingdom.

Chika froze when she saw that one of the princesses of the kingdom was with the knights. She also saw that Ruby was with them as well. She looked scared. Chika crept forward and listened in on the conversation.

"...where they are. You two will lure them back to us."

Chika gulped. She knew that wasn't good. Ruby nodded and hesitantly started walking toward where Chika was hiding. The other princess followed her. Chika backed away and ran into the forest. She was going to confront Ruby once she was safely away from the knights. Chika just hoped the other princess wouldn't try anything.

"Why are we doing this? Couldn't some knights do it? What if we get caught?" The Snow Princess was complaining.

"They don't know where the house is… I do…" Ruby replied.

"Still. If we get hurt it's their fault!"

"Ruby!" Chika called and ran at her.

"Huh? Oh… Chika?" Ruby realized who she was, "What are you doing out here?"

"I was taking a walk. What are you doing here?" Chika asked in reply.

"Who is this?" The Snow Princess glared at Chika.

"A friend." Ruby replied, "She won't hurt us."

"Ruby, are you really going to do this?" Chika asked.

"You know what we're doing?"

"Yeah. I heard." Chika nodded.

"I don't know… I just want onee-chan back." Ruby mumbled.

"But she'll be distant if she goes back. If they take Riko from her again, she'll just be really sad all the time. Do you want that?" Chika tried to talk her out of it.

Ruby shook her head, "I want onee-chan to be happy."

"Wait. Isn't she allowed to date girls?" The other princess asked in confusion.

"Apparently her personal servant wasn't part of that promise." Chika growled.

"That's mean! She should be able to love her and date her!"

"Leah…" Ruby mumbled.

"Nee-sama is really mad about those rules. She's changing them once she takes over. I agree with her."

"Well, there's also another issue… apparently their father actually hates people like that." Chika sighed.

"What?" Ruby and Leah both looked at her in shock.

"That's what Kanan told us." Chika stated.

"We aren't turning them over." Leah stated, "Not if that's what's going to happen to them."

"But, they'll come looking for us…" Ruby said.

"We'll find a way to deceive them." Leah promised, "This is unacceptable."

"Chika, can you take us to the house?" Ruby asked.

Chika nodded. She led the two princesses to the house. Chika explained the current situation and about how those dead knights were the ones who killed Yohane.

"Yohane? I think I remember her. She lived in our kingdom for a while." Leah said.

"She did? How come she left?" Chika asked.

"Witch hunts started for her. We couldn't stop them, so she ran." Leah explained.

"We're here." Chika announced.

She jumped up and easily opened the door. Chika walked inside. Ruby and Leah stayed outside until Chika announced them. They didn't want to just walk in without warning.

"I brought some visitors." Chika stated.

"Who?" Kanan asked.

While Chika had been gone, Mari had moved off the couch and onto the floor next to Dia. Dia was resting her head against Mari's shoulder and sleeping. Mari was drawing a random picture on a piece of paper. She looked up at Chika, but stayed silent.

"Come in, guys!" Chika called to them.

Ruby and Leah hesitantly walked into the house. Chika closed the door behind them. Leah refused to make eye contact and hid behind Ruby.

"Um… why are you here?" Kanan asked as she stood up and walked toward them.

"They want us to bring those two back." Leah stated as she pointed to Dia and Riko, "We aren't going to, though."

"So… what exactly is the plan then? They won't appreciate you guys coming back alone, I would assume." Kanan questioned.

"No idea." They both shrugged in reply.

"Who are you?" Mari asked Leah.

"Kazuno Leah. Younger princess of the Snow kingdom." Leah introduced herself, "You're Mari, right?"

"Yes, that's me." Mari nodded.

The door to Hanamaru's room opened up. Yō came out. She stared at the two princesses with curious eyes. Yō approached them and sat at Kanan's feet.

"H-hi." Ruby shyly greeted Yō.

"Hi, Ruby. How have you been?" Yō asked as she sniffed Ruby's dress.

"I'm okay." Ruby replied as she hesitantly patted Yō on the head.

"Okay… So, we have a talking cat and a talking wolf." Leah stared at Yō.

"Yeah. We have magic in us that lets us talk." Yō stated.

"What's with all the commotion?" Hanamaru grumbled as she came out of the room.

Her eyes widened at the sight. She stood in place and eyed Leah warily.

"Maru, we're gonna need your help." Kanan stated.

DIVIDER--

It was evening by the time they had worked out the plan. Leah and Ruby were not going back. They both stated that they wanted to stay. The plan was simple. Hanamaru was going to use her magic to create illusions of Ruby and Leah being dead. They hoped the knights would be deceived and leave.

While Hanamaru was doing that, Kanan would be standing over the illusions to pretend like she had killed them. They couldn't let the knights touch them. They'd be instantly aware of the trick.

The two of them left the house to go and do it. Kanan led the way to where the knights were camping out for the night. She nodded to Hanamaru once they made it. Hanamaru took a deep breath and then cast the spell. The illusions appeared on the ground before them. They looked very realistic.

Kanan stood in front of them and yelled for the knights' attention. They all turned to look at her. Kanan pointed the bodies and smiled.

"You were fools to let children try and enter the woods." Kanan called to them.

The knights looked at each other and then slowly backed away. They weren't going to fight. They didn't want to. Kanan growled at them. The knights quickly started packing their things.

"Cowards…" Kanan spat as they fled.

Hanamaru let go of the illusions and they vanished into nothingness. Kanan walked over to her and smiled. It had worked. Kanan let Hanamaru climb into her back for the walk home. She had drained a lot of her magic doing that for as long as she did.

They soon made it back to the house. Everyone was waiting anxiously for their return. Kanan announced that they had succeeded and it wasn't that hard. The knights were cowards. They didn't even fight for the bodies.

"It's late. I guess we should all get some rest." Kanan said.

They divided up the rooms for the night. Dia, Mari, and Riko were all going to sleep in one room together. Ruby and Leah would take another. Kanan and Hanamaru were going to sleep in the last one. Chika and Yō decided they wanted to sleep in the living room.

DIVIDER--

Hanamaru had settled into the bed, but didn't try to sleep. She was staring at the ceiling. Kanan frowned as she watched. She didn't know what to do. Kanan sighed as she nuzzled her face into Hanamaru's neck. Hanamaru brushed Kanan's hair as she continued to stare up at nothing.

"Maru?" Kanan whined.

Hanamaru didn't reply. She turned toward Kanan and snuggled up close to her. Kanan pulled her into a hug.

"I miss her…" Hanamaru mumbled.

"I do too…" Kanan replied as she kissed Hanamaru on the head.

"Miss me?" A familiar voice asked.

Hanamaru and Kanan shot up. Yohane was standing at the edge of the room. She was transparent.

"Yohane…" Hanamaru started crying again.

Yohane walked over to them. She suddenly became solid and pulled Hanamaru into a hug.

"Shh… it's okay… I'm here now…" Yohane whispered as she soothed Hanamaru.

Kanan hesitated, before she hugged them both. Yohane hugged Kanan with one of her arms. Hanamaru was hugging herself as she cried. Kanan and Yohane both hugged her tightly.

"Why'd you have to die…?" Hanamaru cried as she looked up at Yohane.

"Sometimes things happen that we don't like." Yohane replied.

"Why are you here?" Kanan asked.

"I can't cross over… something has to be done. I don't know what it is, but my purpose wasn't fulfilled." Yohane explained.

"I guess we'll have to figure that out."

"But… then you'll leave us…" Hanamaru whined, "I don't want you to leave me!"

"Just because I cross over doesn't mean I can't still see you. It'll just be in dreams, is all." Yohane tried to reassure her.

"I want you with me…" Hanamaru whined.

"I'm sorry…" Yohane sighed as she kissed Hanamaru.

"Maru… I know it's hard…" Kanan whispered, "But you can't keep her here forever."

"Maybe my purpose is to help you guys with something?" Yohane suggested hopefully.

"Maybe." Kanan hoped that was the case. She knew it would be worse if it wasn't.

Yohane became transparent again, "I can't stay visible for long. I'm sorry. I'll talk to you guys at night."

With that, she vanished. Hanamaru hugged Kanan as she kept crying. She didn't want Yohane to leave. She wanted her around like it used to be. Kanan did her best to calm her down, but it was hard.

The two of them felt a cold breeze wrap around them. Hanamaru relaxed at the feeling. They both knew it was Yohane they were feeling. Hanamaru eventually cried herself to sleep in Kanan's arms. Kanan laid Hanamaru down on the bed.

She placed a kiss on Hanamaru's head before she laid down beside her. The cool air stayed around them. It wasn't a chilling cold air. It felt nice. Kanan felt the blanket on the bed move over them. It startled her for a minute. It was going to be hard to get used to Yohane being invisible but still there.


	17. A New Ally

The next morning, everyone was woken up by birds. That wasn't normal. Birds rarely ever came into this part of the woods. Kanan got out of the bed and peered out the window. She saw birds around. They all seemed to be gathered in one spot. Kanan walked into the main room of the house to find that Leah and Ruby were already awake.

"Be careful. Birds never come out here." Kanan warned them.

"They don't?" Leah and Ruby shared confused glances.

"The magic of this place tends to drive them away." Kanan explained.

A knock sounded on the door. The three of them froze. No one should be outside. Yō jumped up from where she was laying on the couch and stalked closer to the door. She was ready to attack whoever was outside if she needed to.

Kanan hesitantly opened up the door. Outside stood someone that Kanan didn't know. There were birds on her shoulders. Kanan realized she was the reason the birds were here.

"Um… can I help you?" Kanan asked.

The girl said nothing. Her face was covered by a hood. Kanan couldn't make out anything about her. The girl suddenly pointed at her. A bird squawked and flew into Kanan's face. Kanan let out a yelp as she tried to shoo the bird off of her.

The girl walked inside while Kanan was occupied. She grabbed Leah by the arm and tugged her out the door. Leah sighed and followed her. Ruby watched them with concern. She ran after them with Yō following behind.

The bird attacking Kanan flew away. Kanan looked out and noticed that both Ruby and Leah were gone. Kanan looked out of the door and saw footprints and paw prints. She ran off after them.

Kanan neared them at a pond. She snuck closer. Ruby and Leah were sitting with the mysterious girl. Yō was also sitting there with her. She was protectively sitting between Ruby and the girl.

"Why can't I stay? They aren't bad." Leah complained to the girl.

"Do you realize who they are?" The girl asked.

"They're really nice people! They saved me when I was taken hostage. They helped onee-chan and Riko get away from dad too." Ruby defended.

"They use magic."

"Only one of them does." Yō stated.

"You use magic too. What does it matter?" Leah complained.

"They are exiled for magic. You shouldn't be around them." The girl stated.

"She was never exiled for magic." Kanan stated as she stepped into view.

"Oh really? Then why is she hiding out here?" The girl challenged.

"Because she was accused of a crime she didn't commit." Kanan stated, "She was imprisoned for it and was helped out of jail. She can't show herself or else they'll turn her in."

"Is this the witch from the Diamond kingdom we're talking about?"

"Yes." Kanan nodded.

"Alright. I guess maybe you guys aren't so bad." The girl sighed, "But we are leaving now, Leah."

"No! I don't want to!" Leah protested.

"This is not up for debate. We are going home."

"But, nee-sama!"

"No buts. We are leaving."

"Wait. You're Sarah?"

The girl sighed and pulled down her hood, "Fine… Yes, that's me."

"You use magic? Isn't that, like, illegal?" Yō questioned.

"Yeah. There's a reason I hide my face." Sarah nodded.

"What type of magic do you specialize in?" Kanan asked.

"Nature stuff…" Sarah replied.

"That's really cool!" Yō jumped up, "I've seen some magic of it before. It's amazing!"

"You think so? It's such a bland magic compared to the other types…" Sarah was surprised.

"I have to say, nature magic is the most beautiful. It also is actually a lot more deadly than people think it could be." Kanan said.

"I shouldn't have magic to begin with…" Sarah sighed.

"How did you get magic?" Ruby asked.

Sarah shrugged, "No one is really sure what happened. They believe that someone cursed a gift my family received for my birth and… the curse was for me."

"Do you think you could've just been born with it?" Yō asked.

"There's no way. We did a check. There's no magic in either sides' bloodline." Sarah stated.

"That's strange…"

"Leah, why do you want to stay with them?" Sarah asked.

"I want to help them." Leah stated.

"They have two kingdoms after them right now." Sarah reminded her.

"Can't you call your kingdom's army off?" Kanan asked.

"I could, with a reason. What reason is there?"

"They're working against your beliefs." Leah stated.

"How so?" Sarah questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Could you guys explain it?" Leah asked Kanan and Yō.

"Basically, Dia and Riko are fugitives. They will be killed if they are caught. Killed because, one, Riko apparently isn't allowed to be a date of Dia's, and two, Dia isn't a pure blooded princess." Kanan explained.

"So… you're telling me, Riko is being killed for who she loves? And… Dia, because she isn't pure?" Sarah asked.

Kanan nodded, "As much as the King tried to convince people he was okay with people dating the same gender, he really hates them. And, he doesn't want people to find out about Dia. Soon she'd be tested for magic and the likes for a marriage. Then it'd all come out. He doesn't want that."

"Well, Leah, I guess you're right. The army will be called off. I will not let this go. He promised the people and he better keep it." Sarah growled.

"So, what are we going to do about him?" Ruby asked, "Dad isn't going to just give in. If he does, he'll do it behind everyone's backs and lie. That's how it's always been."

"I think a war may be eminent between our kingdoms. It's already of the verge due to new trade deals." Sarah replied.

"Will you be fighting on our side or for your own ideals?" Yō asked.

"We'll fight on behalf of the citizens of their country. They have no voice. We'll give one to them." Sarah stated.

"I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Would you like to come and see them?" Kanan asked.

"Oh, they are with you?"

"Yep. We broke them out." Kanan nodded.

"I guess we should go and talk to them about this." Sarah said.

Kanan and Yō led the way back to the house. By the time they made it, everyone else was up. They were all worried about where those four had gotten to. It was a relief to see them okay.

Hanamaru tensed up at the sight of Sarah. She definitely wasn't keen on royalty from that kingdom. They were the first to pass laws restricting witches.

"I see we have Sarah now. What brings you here?" Dia asked.

"I came for my sister." Sarah replied.

"I see."

"So, things are going down in your kingdom, huh?" Sarah asked as she sat beside Dia on the couch.

"Unfortunately." Dia replied with a sigh.

"Well, I think I can get my kingdom's army to fight for you guys. They'll help." Sarah stated.

"You'll join the war?"

"Yep."

"You guys could come stay at the castle and aid us." Leah offered.

"You sure?" Kanan asked, glancing at Hanamaru.

"Yes. You'll be protected. No one will hurt you guys." Sarah promised.

"I'm a witch. I can't go." Hanamaru stated.

"You can. I promise you'll be kept safe." Sarah replied.

"I don't trust you." Hanamaru huffed.

"What can I do to get you to trust me?" Sarah asked.

"Show her your magic."

Everyone looked at Sarah. Some wore expressions of shock, while others wore expressions of awe. Sarah sighed and held out her hand. A green glow surrounded it and then a flower was formed out of nothing into her palm. Sarah held it out to Hanamaru.

"You…" Hanamaru was at a loss for words at what she had just witnessed.

"I'm not sure why, but yes, I can use magic." Sarah said.

Hanamaru took the flower from Sarah and examined it. It felt real. Sarah kept her gaze at the floor. She wasn't sure about how the others would react to her magic. It was illegal for royalty to have any connection to magic at all.

"Sarah, it's fine. None of us care."

"Yeah, join the misfits. We all are kinda strange in one way or another."

Sarah slowly looked around at everyone. They all didn't seem to care. They really didn't mind if she was able to use magic.

"I guess I can trust you." Hanamaru stated, "Just don't think I won't revoke it at any moment."

"Shall we prepare to head out?"

"Yes. Let's do that."

Everyone broke off to do their own things. Kanan and Hanamaru spoke to each other.

"What about Yohane? What if she can't follow us there?" Hanamaru worried.

"Why don't we just ask her?" Kanan suggested.

They went into Hanamaru's bedroom. Yohane appeared very faintly.

"Can you follow us out of this house? Or are you bound to a certain distance?" Kanan asked her.

Yohane nodded. She wasn't able to speak.

"So, you can follow us?" Hanamaru asked.

Yohane nodded to her. Hanamaru smiled. She was glad that they didn't have to leave Yohane here all alone. Yohane faded from sight shortly after.

"Let's pack what we need." Kanan said.

"Alright." Hanamaru agreed.

Soon enough, everyone was ready to set out. Sarah and Leah led the way back to their army. Sarah spoke to them and explained the situation. They all obliged to the new rules and prepared to depart. They all would be separated into different carriages for the journey. Sarah, Leah, Chika, Hanamaru, and Ruby were in one, while Kanan, Riko, Mari, Dia, and Yō were in the other. Dia didn't like that her and Ruby were separate, but she didn't complain.

Soon enough, they were off to the Snow kingdom.


	18. The Past Revealed

The trip was a long one. It was going to take a while to reach the Snow kingdom. Everyone was doing their own things.

"Kanan?" Dia called.

"Hmm?" Kanan hummed as she looked at Dia.

"How did you meet Maru?" Dia asked.

**DIVIDER-- **

_It was a dark and stormy night. Kanan had just managed to escape the prison. She was fleeing into the darkness back to her house. As she ran, she heard crying. Kanan paused and stared at her surroundings. She had no clue where the crying was coming from._

_The crying got louder and now a taunting voice joined in. Kanan followed the sound of the voice. It was hard to hear it with the rain making noise. Kanan approached a small shack at the edge of town. There was a man beating up a child._

_Kanan clenched her hands into fists. She hated when people picked on the younger children. The man was yelling at the child for stealing his flowers. Kanan growled and ran at the man as he tried to punch the child again._

_"Leave her alone!" Kanan screamed as she beat the man away from the kid._

_The man soon retreated into his house. Kanan turned around and knelt down beside the child._

_"Hi, my name's Kanan. What's yours?" Kanan asked._

_"H-Hanamaru." The child hiccuped._

_"I'm gonna take you to my house and get you cleaned up." Kanan stated and picked up Hanamaru._

_"I'm not a child… I can walk." Hananaru whined._

_"You are a child." Kanan stated._

_"I'm not. I'm just cursed to remain at this age for eternity." Hanamaru huffed, "I'm over a hundred years old. If anything, you're the child."_

_"Then why were you bawling your eyes out at that man instead of fighting him?" Kanan challenged._

_"I'm not very strong. I'm stuck with the strength of this body." Hanamaru said._

_"How are you so old?" Kanan asked as she reached her house._

_"I'm a witch." Hanamaru stated._

_"A witch? I've never met one of those before." Kanan's eyes sparkled with childish curiosity._

_"You aren't afraid of me?" Hanamaru blinked in surprise._

_"No. I don't believe those stories." Kanan stated._

_"I really should go. It's a bad idea to be around me." Hanamaru tried to leave._

_Kanan blocked her exit, "Stay. It's still pouring down rain."_

_"One night." Hanamaru said._

_"One night is fine." Kanan agreed._

_That one night deal was a lie. Kanan walked Hanamaru home the next day and then continued to visit her often. Eventually, Kanan moved in with her._

**DIVIDER-- **

"So, you just kinda bugged her a lot and she became friends with you?"

"Pretty much. She was always tense around me. She assumed I was going to turn her in once I gained her trust. After I proved otherwise we started becoming friends." Kanan explained.

"How old is she now?" Riko asked.

"Um… somewhere close to 200." Kanan said.

"Yō, where are you from?" Mari asked.

"Sky kingdom." Yō replied.

"And you left because you were kicked out of your pack?"

"Pretty much." Yō said.

"How exactly did you and Kanan meet?"

**DIVIDER-- **

_Kanan was out taking a stroll through the forest. She was enjoying the quiet noise. Suddenly a growl sounded from nearby. Kanan froze in place and looked around. A bear came out of the forest and approached Kanan in a very threatening manner._

_Kanan gulped as she backed away. She was shaking in fear as she tried to stay a good distance away from it. The bear kept closing the distance._

_Kanan let out a cry of panic as she hit a tree. She had backed into the dense forest that you couldn't fit through. She was screwed. There was no way out._

_The bear charged at Kanan. A flash of gray flew at the bear. The bear growled as it turned to attack what had launched itself at it. Kanan soon saw that it was a wolf. The wolf kept growling as it snapped at the bear._

_Blood was being shed on both sides of the battle. The bear fled after a while. The wolf collapsed into a heap. Kanan hesitantly walked over to them. The wolf was bleeding badly. Kanan struggled, but managed to mostly carry the wolf back to Hanamaru._

_"Maru! Maru!" Kanan called as she set the wolf down outside the house._

_Hanamaru rushed out of the house, "What?"_

_"Can you help this wolf?" Kanan asked._

_"Yes. Bring them inside." Hanamaru nodded as she frowned at the state of the wolf._

_Kanan picked up the wolf and moved them inside the house. She set them down on a small blanket. Hanamaru quickly got to work using her magic to seal up the wounds. Kanan watched from close by as she knelt down by the wolf's head._

**DIVIDER-- **

"Why did you save her?" Mari asked.

Kanan shrugged, "I don't really know. It's just, she saved me and all, so… it felt like I owed her for it."

"How come Maru didn't say no to your request?" Yō asked.

"She trusts me to know what I'm doing." Kanan replied.

"You brought a wolf to her and she didn't even question it?" Mari asked.

"All she asked was what happened. She didn't question anything else." Kanan nodded.

"That's interesting. To think she trusts you that much…"

"Are we going to be talking about our pasts today?" Kanan asked.

"I think it'd be a good way to pass the time. We can get to know each other better." Dia stated.

"Fine. I guess there isn't much else to do." Kanan sighed.

"So, how'd you and Chika meet?"

**DIVIDER-- **

_Kanan was taking a walk through the town late one night. She heard some kids laughing. Kanan carefully walked closer to them. She didn't know what they were doing, but it was suspicious for kids to be out this late._

_Kanan found them and looked at what they were doing. She saw that a cat was in between them and they were kicking the cat. Kanan clenched her fists at the sight. The cat had done nothing to deserve the beating._

_"Hey! Get lost!" Kanan yelled at the kids and walked toward them._

_The kids scattered. Kanan walked over to where the cat was lying. She frowned at how bloody and broken the cat looked. Kanan carefully picked them up. She cradled them close as she walked back into the woods. The cat was still conscious. She purred weakly and nuzzled into Kanan's shirt. Kanan smiled bitterly at the cat._

_"I promise I'll get you some help." Kanan told her._

_Kanan soon made it back to the house. She walked in and walked over to where Yohane was sitting and working on something._

_"Yohane. I need your help." Kanan said as she gently set the cat down on the desk._

_"You want me to heal her?" Yohane guessed._

_Kanan nodded, "If you could."_

_"I can." Yohane nodded and started healing the cat._

**DIVIDER-- **

"Where is Chika from?" Riko asked.

Kanan shrugged, "She never told us."

"She doesn't want to remember that place." Yō stated, "It's not something she wants to think about."

"Alright."

"So, let me guess. You wanna know how I met Yohane next?" Kanan guessed.

They all nodded. Kanan retold that story as well.

"So, can I ask something now?" Kanan asked once she finished.

They nodded.

"How'd you and Riko end up meeting. It's obvious Riko isn't from the Diamond kingdom." Kanan asked.

Riko and Dia looked at each other. That was a story no one knew. They always had lied about how they had met.

"I guess we can trust you with it." Dia said.

**DIVIDER-- **

_It was late at night. Dia was unable to sleep. She sighed and sat up. Dia looked out her window. It was a full moon. She realized that meant the black market was in town. Dia had always wanted to see the black market._

_She dressed in ragged clothes and put a hood over her face. She couldn't be identified. Dia snuck out of the castle and walked toward the location where she was told the market was at. Dia found it and walked inside._

_She stared in awe at all the illegal goods and acts going on. It was amazing to her. Dia saw a large crowd of people gathered by what looked like a stage. She walked over to it. There were children, mainly girls, chained up on the stage with very little clothing on._

_Dia realized what this was. It was an illegal slave trade. She stared at the girls. She didn't know how to feel about it. Dia didn't like the thought of this practice. She turned and walked away. That was not something she wanted to be a part of._

_Dia left the market after a while. She made her way back to the castle. Along the way, she felt like she was being followed. Dia paused and looked around. She couldn't see anyone._

_"Is someone there?" Dia called._

_A figure hesitantly came out of hiding. Dia examined them to find it was a girl who looked a little younger than her. Dia realized where she was from. She was one of the girls that was supposed to be sold._

_"Why are you following me?" Dia asked as she cautiously approached the girl._

_"I… I just… I saw you at the market…" The girl mumbled, "I… I ran away from it…"_

_"And why are you telling me this?" Dia questioned._

_"I'm begging you, please help me. I don't want to be there… I can't stand it…" The girl started crying._

_"I don't know what I can do to help you."_

_"I'll do anything! I'll do whatever you want…" The girl pleaded, "Please, just don't let them take me back…"_

_Dia felt sorry for the girl. She wanted to help her. She just didn't know how to._

_"Come with me." Dia held out her hand to the girl._

_She took it and let Dia lead her away. Dia took the girl back to the castle with her._

_"W-why are we here?" The girl froze and refused to move._

_"I'm… I'm one of the princesses…" Dia mumbled._

_"You… are? But, why were you at the market?"_

_"I was curious. I always wanted to see it." Dia replied, "Now, are you coming?"_

_The girl hesitantly nodded. Dia led her through the secret passages she had found and made her way back to her room. Dia changed into her nightgown and then offered a spare one to the girl._

_"What's your name?" Dia asked._

_"R-Riko…" The girl replied._

_"Nice to meet you. I'm Dia. I promise I'll keep you safe from them." Dia smiled at her._

_"How?"_

_"Become my personal servant. I'm sure they'll let you. That way, you'll be safe. I'll never hurt you, I promise."_

_"Okay…" Riko agreed._

_Dia laid down on her bed and motioned for Riko to join her. Riko shyly laid down beside her._

**DIVIDER-- **

"You were a slave?"

Riko nodded.

"How'd you end up there? If you want to tell us."

"I… I don't really remember much… I was so young. I think my family took a loan from them and never paid it back, so they took me as payment." Riko said quietly.

Dia pulled Riko close to her. Riko curled up into Dia's side.

"You've been through a lot…"

"I guess…"

**DIVIDER-- **

The carriages stopped at night. Everyone got out and stretched. They sat around a fire and talked until they all decided to get some rest.

Dia approached Hanamaru, "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure." Hanamaru nodded.

The two of them went somewhere private to talk. Everyone else started settling down. It took a while before Dia and Hanamaru came back. Dia went and laid beside Riko. Hanamaru didn't move to lay down yet. She stared off into the distance.

A few seconds later, Yohane came into view. Hanamaru smiled and walked over to her. They hugged. Yohane led Hanamaru to a makeshift bed. They laid down together. Hanamaru snuggled up next to Yohane. Yohane held her close.

**DIVIDER-- **

Early the next morning, Dia woke up. She clutched her stomach as she felt a wave of nausea overcome her. She shot up and ran into the woods. The movement woke up Riko. She stared at where Dia had vanished with concern. She stood up and walked over to her.

"Dia? Are you alright?" Riko asked as she knelt down beside where Dia was crouching.

"Yeah… just a little sickness. I'll be fine." Dia reassured her.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah." Dia pushed herself to her feet.

Riko and her walked back to the camp. They laid back down on their bed.

"You sure you're alright? This has been on and off for a few days now." Riko asked, "Should I get someone to look at you?"

"I'm fine." Dia shook her head.

"Alright." Riko sighed.

"I promise it's nothing to worry about." Dia reassured her.

Riko said nothing in reply. She just curled up closer to Dia. Dia pulled her into a hug. Riko hugged her back. She was worried. She wished Dia would let someone examine her.

**DIVIDER-- **

When the sun finally rose, everyone got up and moving again. They all went back to their respective carriages. The journey had only just begun. It would still be a long journey until they reached the Snow kingdom.

The conversation of the day turned to random stories. Everyone shared some crazy stories they experienced. Riko kept watching Dia closely. She didn't look ill, but Riko was still worried.

The pattern of her sickness continued. Almost every morning, Dia would end up throwing up. Riko was pleading with her to get someone to check her out. Dia finally relented, but insisted it be Hanamaru who do it. Hanamaru just told Riko the same things Dia had been telling her.

Riko was getting suspicious about it.


	19. Plan of Attack

After a long trip, they had all finally arrived at the Snow kingdom. They arrived at the castle just as night was starting to fall. Everyone was ushered inside quickly so that no citizens could see them. They didn't want anyone to know who was with them at the moment. They didn't want any chance word could get out until they were ready.

They all knew the moment news got out about the location of either Dia or Riko, it was over. They'd be instantly tracked down and hunted. They needed to remain hidden for as long as they could.

"I'll show you to your rooms." Sarah called to them, "Leah, you go tell mom and dad about this."

Leah nodded and left them. Sarah led the rest of them to their rooms. Ruby was going to be staying with Leah. Hanamaru, Mari, and Kanan got a room together. Yō and Chika both decided to join them. Dia and Riko got a room for themselves.

Everyone settled down for the night. Tomorrow was when they'd start planning their attack. The Diamond kingdom was going to fall.

**DIVIDER-- **

After they all ate breakfast, everyone gathering in the military planning room. They gathered around a table and talked about what they could do.

"How many knights do you think they have?" Sarah asked.

"Not too many as of now. Most were killed for being traitors." Dia replied.

"Then it'd be easy to storm the castle." Sarah stated.

"I guess."

"Are there secret ways in?" The head knight asked.

Dia nodded, "Yes. By the gardens. Behind the wood pile there's a passage to most of the castle."

"I think that might be a wise way to go. Get inside and take them from the heart."

"If you think that's best, then do it." Sarah stated.

The knight called some others into the room and they started going over the plan. Sarah dismissed everyone else to do whatever they wanted. She said she'd tell them the plan once it was made.

Leah took Ruby on a tour of the castle gardens. Chika decided to follow them. Mari and Kanan went and took a walk around the city. Yō wanted to go with them, but was told no because she would scare the citizens. Yō instead went and stayed with Hanamaru, who was sitting in her room and writing something down. Dia went back to her room. Riko followed her, unsure what else to do.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Hey! Slow down!" Chika whined.

Ruby and Leah giggled as they turned to look at Chika. Chika frowned as she ran to catch up with them. Ruby bent down and picked Chika up.

"Can I carry you instead?" Ruby asked.

Chika struggle out of Ruby's grip, "No.

Ruby pouted. Chika crawled onto her shoulders. Ruby looked at Chika for a bit. Once Chika situated herself, Ruby and Leah walked on again.

"Your garden is so pretty." Ruby mused as she looked at all the flowers.

"Mom has a thing for making our castle look as nice as possible. It's a pride thing." Leah explained.

"Well, it certainly is over-the-top." Chika stated.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Anywhere in particular you'd like to go?" Kanan asked Mari.

Mari shrugged, "I don't know my way around here. I have no clue what's around."

"Well, is there anything you'd like to go do?" Kanan asked.

"Hmm… do you think there's a pond around?" Mari hummed.

"We can go see." Kanan replied.

Mari smiled as her and Kanan walked through the town hand in hand. A few townsfolk looked at them, before quickly looking away. Kanan didn't like all the attention they were getting. She knew there was nothing she could really do about it. Mari was going to be recognized no matter what they did.

"I didn't realize so many people lived in the area." Kanan muttered as she ducked into a side path.

"Is this not common?" Mari asked.

"Not really. Most people aren't allowed to live so close to a castle." Kanan replied.

"Why not?" Mari asked.

"I don't really know. I guess for safety reasons." Kanan shrugged.

The two of them continued to wander through the town and look around. They eventually found a pond. The two of them sat down and enjoyed the calmness. They knew that would soon end.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Maru, whatcha writing?" Yō asked as she jumped on the bed Hanamaru was sitting on.

"It's a potion. I've been working on it for a while." Hanamaru replied.

"What's it for?" Yō asked as she rested her head on Hanamaru's lap.

Hanamaru reached out and pet Yō, "That's not something I can tell you. It's supposed to remain a secret for a while."

"Alright! Just let me know if you need anything. I can sniff out any herbs you need." Yō said.

"Thank you. I'll remember that." Hanamaru smiled and kissed Yō on the head.

Yō barked happily as she nuzzled her face into Hanamaru's leg. She loved when she got attention from Hanamaru. Hanamaru chuckled as she continued to pet Yō. She worked on the potion while she did so. Yō didn't seem to mind. She just happily slapped her tail onto the bed as she nuzzled Hanamaru's leg more.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Are you sure you're okay?" Riko worried over Dia once they were alone.

"I'm fine, Riko. How many times do I need to tell you that for you to believe me?" Dia said as she laid down on the bed.

"I'm just worried about you. You've been sick for a while now." Riko replied as she sat beside Dia.

"It's nothing. If it makes you feel better, Maru is going to make something to help me." Dia tried to reassure Riko.

"I guess that makes this a little better… but, why won't you tell me what's wrong?" Riko pouted.

"You don't need to know." Dia stated, "At least, not yet."

Riko sighed, "Fine… do you want to cuddle?"

"Sure." Dia nodded.

The two of them laid down on the bed. Dia cuddled into Riko. Normally, it was the other way around, but since Dia had been feeling ill, Riko had been swapping their positions. Riko smiled as she brushed Dia's hair.

"I love you." Riko whispered.

"I love you too." Dia replied.

Dia leaned up and kissed Riko on the cheek. Riko gave Dia a kiss on the head in reply. The two of them stayed like that and ended up falling asleep.

**DIVIDER-- **

Over the next few days, the plan was perfected. They had all gathered in a room to hear the final version. Everyone but Dia, Ruby, and Riko were supposed to be involved. They were left out because of their alliances with the kingdom. No one wanted them to get hurt in the attack. They'd be the first ones targeted.

Sarah and Leah were in charge of the knights. Mari was going to be leading the ambush group. She knew the passages well due to always sneaking around them with Dia when they were kids. Kanan was going to be leading the main group that would charge through the gates. By leading, that basically meant she was just guiding them around. The knight in charge was giving the attack orders.

Hanamaru was going to heal anyone that needed it. She was also there to give messages to the kingdom about their successes and defeats. Yō was going to be with her as protection. Chika was remaining at the castle so she could be the receiver of the messages. Her and Hanamaru had managed to bond strong enough to hold long distance telepathic communications.

That night before they set off, everyone was unable to relax. It was very nerve wracking. This mission was going to be tough. Even if taking the Shining kingdom had been tough, this was even harder. The knights actually want to fight for the kingdom now. The others didn't really want to because of their treatment.

It was late that night. Hanamaru crept down the hall and into a room.

"Why are you here?" Dia asked.

"I came to give you this." Hanamaru replied and handed over a small vial, "Take it in the morning with some liquid."

"Thank you. Good luck tomorrow." Dia set the vial down.

"Stay safe. Who knows what might happen here." Hanamaru replied as she left the room.

Riko was awake. She kept silent as Dia snuggled back up to her. Riko was still very suspicious. She knew that Hanamaru and Dia both knew exactly why she was ill. Riko just wished she was told. She didn't understand why she wasn't. Riko couldn't help but wonder what Hanamaru had given to Dia.

**DIVIDER-- **

In the morning, they set off to the Diamond kingdom. They would travel fast and make it in half the time it should normally take. Dia was sitting in the garden with Ruby. After they had waved goodbye, the two of them went to talk for a bit. Dia had snuck out earlier in the morning and taken the vial Hanamaru had given her. She was relieved to not feel like throwing up in the morning.

Riko was still as suspicious as ever. Now that Dia had something from Hanamaru and then her sickness just vanished, Riko came to be certain that the two of them knew exactly what was wrong. Riko felt anger at the fact she was being left out. She cared a lot about Dia and yet she wasn't being trusted with whatever the information was.

Dia felt bad about not letting Riko in on the problem. She just didn't know how to approach the topic. She also didn't know if Riko would be alright with the truth. The last thing Dia wanted was to lose Riko. She wondered if she should tell her anything. Even if it was just a lie.

"So, this is where you two ended up." Riko found them.

"Morning, Riko!" Ruby greeted her, "We were watching the sunrise! You missed it."

"That's too bad." Riko shrugged and took a seat beside Dia.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Dia greeted her.

"Eh… it wasn't the best." Riko replied, "The wind last night was loud."

"Yeah. That it was." Dia agreed.

"So, what are we going to do while they're gone?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we can help out around the castle?" Dia suggested.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you guys!"

They all turned to see Chika was running toward them. She was frowning. They had left her out.

"So… anything you guys wanna do today?" Riko asked, "Um… I mean, want to do today…"

Riko had a bit of a dialect difference from most citizens. She combined words when that tended to be frowned upon by those in the regions around here. She constantly had to correct herself. She was told not to talk like that, as it gave off hints that she wasn't from the same kingdom as she served.

"You can let your dialect come out. I don't think it matters anymore." Dia said.

"Riko, where are you from?" Chika asked.

"The Flor kingdom." Riko said.

"Um… what is that kingdom?" Everyone looked at her confused.

"Oh, right. You guys would know it as the Flower kingdom." Riko mumbled, "One ruler changed the word to a different language one time so that's what we've had to call it since then."

"Oh yeah, that dick. I remember his rule." Dia grumbled.

"He was a jerk!" Chika nodded.


	20. Attack

The attack party had arrived prior to schedule. Hanamaru sent out a message to Chika to inform her of such. They were told to proceed as thought it was on time. Everyone started sharpening their weapons and training. As night started to fall, everyone got rested up for midnight. That was when they would attack. The moon was new, so they could use the darkness to their advantage. It was the perfect night to do this.

Tensions were high in the camp. Everyone was on edge. All it would take is one person to see them and spread the word and then the mission was a failure. They'd have to retreat empty handed and risk a worse punishment. Who knew what the Diamond kingdom might do to them in retaliation if they were caught.

More or less, it was the lives of Dia and Riko that were on the lines. Kanan and Mari also might be wanted, but not as severely as they are. It would be pretty obvious that they were doing this for Dia and Riko. Once the true nature of why they were attacking came out, there would be no way to deny why they were doing this.

"Maru, are you alright?" Kanan asked as she took a seat beside her.

"I just… I had a weird vision last night… I'm worried it might be a sign…" Hanamaru mumbled.

"What was it about?" Kanan asked as she pulled Hanamaru closer to her for comfort.

"I saw blood… lots of blood. It was from a chest. Female chest. There was a sword. I think that might've been the weapon." Hanamaru paused to gulp.

"That sounds like a warning vision." Kanan commented.

"I saw black mist. I think that might mean ghost or spirit. There was also a knife. And, a dead male. I heard sobbing. Anguish." Hanamaru finished, "It was horrible. I felt sick after seeing it."

"I hope that doesn't come true." Kanan said.

"I hope it doesn't as well. I just wonder who it could be."

"Probably one of us." Kanan replied.

"Yeah… I pray it was just a really bad nightmare."

Soon after, everyone was called to head out. Kanan wished Hanamaru luck and set off to find her group. Yō cuddled up with Hanamaru to try and cheer her up. She also hoped that the vision wasn't true and it was indeed just a nightmare fueled by the tension. If that vision was true, they all knew how much more they would suffer from it.

Mari was the first one to leave with her group. They'd ambush the knights. Once there were cries of panic inside, Kanan would lead the other group in and start telling them where to go.

Mari led the knights through the back of the castle. They snuck around with little problems. There weren't any guards around. Mari was a little suspicious about that. Even if there weren't many knights available, she still assumed they'd have some on guard duty. Due to that, they moved extra slow and made sure to do a lot of double takes before moving onward to their next cover.

This mission could end everything. If they got caught, the other group would never know and then they could be easily ambushed and killed. This was the main part of the mission. They needed to get the element of surprise to win this fight. Even if they outnumbered the knights of the other side, they could still be defeated if they made a mistake.

"That wood pile is the one." Mari whispered to the knight in charge of the attacking orders for the group.

"Alright. Two people go and sneak over. Remove the pile carefully. Signal once it is clear." The knight ordered.

Two other knights snuck over and slowly shifted the pile over. It revealed a passage just like Dia had said there would be. The knights examined it and then signaled for the rest of the group to come over. They all snuck over and went into the tunnel. It still was weird to see no guards around.

"Close the entrance." The lead knight ordered.

Three knights pushed the wood back into place so they were sealed inside. They all drew their weapons and started to creep forward. Mari led the way to where they were going. Some would go to the King and Queen's bedroom and some would go to the courtroom.

"Take a left to their bedroom." Mari called as they came to an intersection.

Half of the group left them and went left. Mari led the remaining half onward to the right. The courtroom was a little bit farther away. Mari prayed they'd get there before the other group attacked. It all came down to getting the timing right in order to succeed in this mission. If the other group attacked first, the knights would go aid the King and Queen. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"We're here." Mari called.

"Alright. On three we charge." The head knight told the rest of the group.

They all readied their weapons as they waited for the order. Most of them were itching to fight. It had been a while since they had done a proper battle.

"One… two… three!"

The knights charged forward with a battle cry. Mari watched them from the safety of the tunnel. She wasn't going to get involved unless she needed to. That was the plan. She was supposed to stay hidden and run back any messages she needed to.

After a few minutes, the group Kanan was in charge of made their way into the fight. The knights for the Diamond kingdom held their ground, but were slowly being pushed back. They were heavily outnumbered. Mari spotted Kanan hanging out by the hallway and watching the fight unfold. They made eye contact. Kanan nodded to Mari and then turned her attention back to the battle.

Their knights managed to drive the Diamond knights into fleeing farther into the castle. The Snow knights followed them. The order was to kill without mercy, after all. No survivors were allowed to come out of this except for the servants and such. Kanan walked over to where Mari was. She held out her hand.

"Let's follow them." Kanan stated as she pulled a sword out for safety.

Mari nodded and pulled out a knife. They two of them slowly trailed the knights as they fought. If anyone broke the rank, they would kill them. It wasn't hard to finish off the knights. They were outnumbered and easily weakening. They were overpowered. It didn't take long before the final knight fell to the ground dead.

The group of knights that went to the bedroom came out with the King and Queen held hostage. Mari nodded to Kanan and the two of them walked forward to confront them. The King and Queen's faces lit up in anger as they saw them.

"You! You did this!"

"Yes, we did. You're going to die. This rule of yours isn't allowed any longer." Kanan stated as she held out her sword to them.

"Where are Dia and that brat?" The King demanded, "And what did you do to Ruby!?"

"Dia and Riko are with the Snow kingdom. As is Ruby. That was an illusion your knights were shown. I can't believe they fell for it." Kanan stated.

"You'll regret this. Even if we die, we'll take at least someone with us. Mark my words." The King growled.

"I want to know one thing. Why couldn't Riko and Dia be a thing? Why was it unacceptable?" Mari asked.

"Riko isn't from this kingdom. Only Diamond citizens can marry into the royal family." The King stated.

"Why did you let Riko serve the kingdom if she wasn't from here?" Kanan asked.

"Because Dia wouldn't take no for an answer."

"We're going to kill you now. And then show your citizens the truth behind your rule." Kanan growled.

Mari grabbed Kanan, "Wait!"

"What?"

"I want to do it." Mari stated.

Kanan stepped back and handed Mari the sword. Mari walked up to them. She started with the Queen. Mari quickly sliced off her head. As for the King, Mari made him suffer a lot more. She stabbed him repeatedly until he died from blood loss. She was not merciful at all. She wanted to make him suffer for everything he had done to both Dia and Riko. Mainly for what he had done to Riko, though.

Mari stepped back and looked around. The ground was stained with the blood of the knights. Countless corpses littered the ground. It was a repulsing sight. There were dismembered limbs everywhere. It was not a pretty sight to behold.

"Let's take them out and put them on display." Kanan ordered.

A few knights grabbed the bodies of the King and Queen and took them outside. They set them on display and wrote a message so everyone could see what they had done. For those who couldn't read, one knight drew pictures to explain it as well.

They all gathered back at their camp. Knights went in to fetch their fallen comrades. Mari went to clean off all the blood on her. Kanan went with her as well. Everyone else gathered and talked about their victory. Hanamaru sent a message to Chika to tell her the good news.

Kanan and Mari came back and sat down with them all again. Yō curled up on their laps. Kanan pet Yō as she enjoyed the warmth from her fur. Yō nuzzled Kanan lightly as she tried her best not to whack Mari with her tail.

"Maru? Is everything alright?" Mari asked.

Kanan looked up to see that Hanamaru had gone pale. Hanamaru looked at Mari and Kanan and shook her head.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Kanan asked.

"My vision… it came true…" Hanamaru whispered.


	21. The Vision is True

"Hey! They're launching the attack!" Chika called into the room where Dia and Riko were staying.

"Okay!"

Chika then left them to go tell everyone else.

"So, it's begun." Riko said.

"Yep. I hope this will be an easy victory for them." Dia nodded.

The two of them were still awake. Neither wanted to sleep with the impending battle. They wanted to know what happened. They were sitting on the bed quietly. Neither of them knew what to do while they waited for Chika to return with the final verdict of the battle.

After a while of waiting, the door to their room opened up. A person stepped in the room. After a few seconds, they both realized who they were. It was a knight from the Diamond kingdom.

"You guys aren't the only ones with knowledge of where to find a witch." The knight growled.

Dia and Riko stood up. They didn't know what to do. They had no weapons on them. The knight had a sword. He started to approach Dia. Riko threw herself in front of Dia. The knight let out a growl.

Riko didn't move. She stayed in front of Dia. She had no desire to let the knight get to her. Riko wasn't letting him get through to Dia. She'd die first. She had sworn to protect Dia and she was still keeping it even if that promise was made when they were still in the Diamond kingdom.

"Get out of my way!" The knight yelled and then he charged.

His sword went through Riko's chest. It narrowly missed her heart. She could've died on impact if it had, but now she was going to suffer a slow and painful death. Riko couldn't even scream. All that came out of her was a gasp.

"Riko!" Dia cried out as Riko fell to the floor when the sword was removed from her.

"Now that she's out of the way, it's your turn to die." The knight advanced toward Dia.

Dia stood frozen in place. The knight kept getting closer and closer. Dia was ready to accept her fate, when suddenly the knight let out a cry of pain. He coughed up blood. Dia looked behind him as he fell to see Yohane was there holding a bloody knife. Dia barely acknowledged her and just fell to her knees. She flipped Riko over to her back.

"R-Riko…" Dia cried.

"I-it's okay…" Riko mumbled as she tried to smile.

"It's not! You can't die!" Dia cried out.

"I'm sorry…" Riko coughed up blood, "But… I'd rather it… it be me…"

"B-but… I need you!" Dia pleaded.

"You'll be fine… without me…" Riko whispered.

"No! You can't leave me!" Dia shouted as she slammed her hands into the ground in frustration.

"W-why are you so stubborn? You can't change this…" Riko asked.

"Riko… I'm… I'm pregnant…" Dia said, "That's why I've been sick every morning… remember when we used that potion… well, this came out of it."

"I'm sorry…" Riko's eyes slowly fluttered shut.

"You can't die! What about our child!? They need you too!" Dia knew it was futile, but she kept pleading.

Riko took one last ragged breath and then fell still. The room fell silent. Dia sat there, frozen in place. Tears were streaming down her face. She didn't make a single sound. She didn't even register Yohane hugging her.

"I'm sorry…" Yohane whispered to her.

Dia finally broke out of her frozen state. She looked up at Yohane.

"I'll take care of her." Yohane said softly, "She's in good hands."

"C-can she still visit me?" Dia asked.

"She's crossed over. It'll only be in dreams that you could see her." Yohane sighed.

"You haven't crossed over?" Dia tried to clean up her tear-stained face.

Yohane shook her head, "Whatever my purpose was wasn't fulfilled. Until it is, I can't go over."

"If you're not crossed over, how can you take care of her?" Dia questioned.

"I can't stay over there for long, but I can go there. I can check on her occasionally." Yohane explained.

Dia let out a sob and then broke back down into tears. Yohane did her best to try and calm her down. It wasn't doing much. The only thing she could do was offer some support.

There was clicking coming near them. Chika ran into the room. Her ears had picked up the noise so she went to see what was going on. She stood frozen in shock at the scene she stumbled upon. Chika hesitantly walked closer and rubbed her face onto one of Dia's legs.

Yohane frowned at Chika. Chika returned the look. No matter what they tried, Dia wasn't calming down. Eventually she ran out of tears.

"Why don't you go get some rest for a bit. Go to Ruby's room." Yohane guided Dia away.

Chika followed after them. She got a message from Hanamaru about them winning the battle. Chika replied sadly that Riko was dead.

**DIVIDER-- **

The mood dropped. Their victory was less now that they learned of Riko's death.

"Do you know what happened?" Kanan asked Hanamaru.

"No… all Chika has told me is that there was a Diamond knight dead on the floor when she walked in. How he got there is still unknown. Until Dia wants to talk, we won't know what really happened." Hanamaru replied.

"I just can't believe it…" Yō mumbled, "Another one is dead now…"

"We should head back as soon as possible." Mari stated.

"I agree. Let's start packing up." Sarah nodded and started giving the knights instructions.

"I hope they're all okay…"

"I'm sure they are."

**DIVIDER-- **

"Onee-chan… wake up." Ruby gently shook Dia awake.

"What is it?" Dia asked quietly.

"It's time." Ruby said.

The two of them left the room. Chika was waiting outside for them. She climbed onto Ruby's shoulders. The three of them made their way to the cemetery. Riko was going to be buried there.

The burial didn't last very long. It was quick. They said a small blessing and then placed the coffin in the hole. Once it was covered up again and a headstone had been placed, everyone started to leave.

Dia walked up to the grave and sat in front of it. Ruby took a seat beside her. Chika stayed with them as well. She curled up in Ruby's lap. They sat in silence, not saying a word. Yohane was watching them. She was invisible to the living. She watched the scene with sadness in her eyes.

As night fell, Dia still didn't leave. She had been there for hours now, just staring blankly at Riko's grave. Ruby remained by her side. She left occasionally, but would always come back. Chika remained at the castle once it started getting late.

When night fell, Yohane had enough strength to become visible again. She appeared and then made her way over to where they sat. Ruby jumped at the sight of her. The reaction wasn't as bad as the first time she saw her, but it was still pretty bad. Dia didn't even seem to notice her at all.

"Dia. You can't sit out here all night." Yohane stated.

"Who's going to stop me?" Dia replied.

"You need to go inside. It's not wise to remain out here in the dark." Yohane tried to reason with her.

"I know. Grave robbers and thieves come out to places like these. I don't care." Dia said.

"You've been out here for hours. Aren't you tired? Hungry?" Yohane asked.

Dia didn't respond. Yohane sighed. Dia wasn't listening to her. Ruby looked at Yohane.

"I understand you miss her. But, this isn't going to do anything. You need to move on." Yohane stated.

Dia's eyes flared with anger, "What did you just say?"

Yohane was taken aback by the sudden fury. She tried to think of what she said that might've triggered that. It didn't take much to figure it out.

"You need to move on. Crying over her won't bring her back." Yohane repeated.

"What gives you the right to tell me that! You think I'm going to just easily get over her!?" Dia stood up.

"No. I don't think that. But, this behavior isn't going to help you start moving on! You're trapped in the past." Yohane stated.

Ruby backed away slightly in fear. She had never seen Dia get so angry before. It was scary.

"You have no right to say these things to me! You can still show yourself! No one's getting over you because you can still be here!" Dia yelled.

"That doesn't mean anything! Just because I can sometimes show myself doesn't mean they aren't having to get over me! They still have to come to terms with my death." Yohane fought back.

Dia growled and it looked like she was going to charge at Yohane. Yohane knew she could easily turn transparent and Dia couldn't do any damage, so she wasn't at all intimidated by the threat.

"Get out of here. Stop telling me how to live my life." Dia growled as she moved closer to Yohane.

"I'm trying to help you. You're just too stubborn to see that." Yohane huffed in reply.

"I am not!" Dia threw a punch at Yohane. She was extremely pissed off at her now.

"Stop it!" A pair of hands caught her fist.

"Ri… ko?"

Despite having crossed over, Riko had somehow managed to make herself visible and solid. She stood between Dia and Yohane.

"Just stop! This isn't going to do anything!" Riko yelled at the both of them.

"How did you…?" Yohane stared at her in shock.

"I don't know…" Riko replied, "But… I'm not able to go back now."

"Why? Why did you do that?"

"I think this is better." Riko stated as she turned to look at Dia.

"Riko…" Dia was crying again.

Riko held out her arms. Dia ran into them and hugged her.

"I know it's tough… fighting isn't going to solve anything, though." Riko said.

"She's to blame." Dia stated.

"No. Both of you are to blame." Riko shook her head.

"Fine…" Dia sighed.

"Now, are we actually going to the castle? It's getting pretty late." Yohane asked.

"Come on. Let's go." Riko stated and started tugging Dia along with her.

Ruby and Yohane followed behind them. Ruby stayed a bit of a distance away from Yohane. She was still frightened about the fact she was a ghost. Yohane couldn't help but wonder if Ruby would behave the same way around Riko.

Just as they got to the castle gates, Riko suddenly started fading.

"I guess you're at your limit." Yohane stated, "You can only stay visible and solid for so long."

"You've been holding out longer." Riko replied.

"I've had time to get more strength." Yohane responded, "You'll get better at it over time."

"I guess I'll see you later." Riko frowned as she let go of Dia.

Within a few seconds, Riko had completely vanished from sight. Yohane could still see her, obviously. Dia and Ruby went to their room. The two of them were sharing for a while. It was Chika's suggestion. She didn't think it would be wise to let Dia sleep alone.

Yohane hung back with Riko. The two of them stared at each other for a bit. Yohane vanished from the living eye. She was only seen by ghosts for now.

"So, Dia and you used a potion huh?" Yohane asked.

Riko shyly nodded, "Yeah. We thought that maybe if we did that and she got pregnant that they'd let us marry…"

"Where'd you get the potion from?" Yohane questioned.

"A traveling merchant." Riko replied.

"Do you want a child?"

Riko shrugged, "I don't really know… but, if Dia wants to have this child, I'll do my best to still be there for them."

"I'm glad to hear that. Otherwise I'd be beating you up right now. You can't abandon her." Yohane nodded in approval.

"I just wish she would've told me earlier…" Riko frowned, "Her and Maru kept it a secret from me."

"For a good reason. You have to understand that this is a sensitive topic. Sure, you might've agreed to the pregnancy before, but now that times have changed, they couldn't be too sure if the answer was the same." Yohane explained.

"I just felt so betrayed… she said we could trust each other with anything…"

"I know… I'm sure she'll make it up to you." Yohane said.

Riko sighed, "I'm sure she will… but, it won't change anything."

"Come on. You have to get over it." Yohane stated.

"If I would've known I would've tried to stay alive!" Riko growled.

"You know as well as I do that nothing would've changed. You had no weapons. You would've died one way or another. You should be happy you saved her." Yohane argued.

"I would've protected her either way!" Riko defended.

"Both ways would mean death." Yohane stated.

"Is there any way to, y'know, revive someone?" Riko hesitantly asked.

Yohane sighed, "That's delving into black magic. I would suggest dropping that idea."

Riko sighed. She wanted to be alive. She wanted to be there for Dia. But, as of now, she could only show herself for an hour at best. Riko didn't like that at all.

"Riko, you died a lot more honorable than I did. People will respect you." Yohane said.

"Even if you died like I did, you wouldn't be respected. No one would respect a witch. That statement means nothing." Riko grumbled.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up…" Yohane frowned.

"I just need some time…" Riko said and then she walked away.

Yohane sighed and went to go see how Dia and Ruby were doing. Dia tended to not sleep at all. She would just lie awake for hours and stare at the wall. Ruby, on the other hand, would constantly have nightmares. Yohane hated the knights who decided it was okay to show Ruby Riko's body. Ruby was scarred from it.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Guys! Chika told me more about what happened!" Hanamaru stated as they stopped for a rest.

"What did she say?"

Everyone, meaning Sarah, Leah, Kanan, Mari, and Yō, gathered around Hanamaru to listen. They all were still curious about what had happened. It was driving them insane to know nothing.

"Apparently the Diamond kingdom found a new witch. They teleported the knight to the castle. He found where Dia and Riko were. From what they have found, it appeared he was only supposed to kill Dia and then take Riko back to a secret location." Hanamaru retold what Chika had explained to her, "Riko refused to let him near Dia, and as a result, she was killed. Yohane killed the knight."

"Is Riko like Yohane?" Yō asked.

"Yes. Well, I guess. She had crossed over. But, Yohane and Dia got into a fight and Riko somehow managed to appear. She's locked out from the crossed land now." Hanamaru explained.

"How are they doing?" Kanan asked.

"It's tough… Ruby's been having nightmares. Dia's just kinda been lifeless." Hanamaru said.

"Maybe now that Riko can show herself, Dia will get better?" Mari suggested.

"Only time will tell." Hanamaru replied.

"I hope she gets better."

"Guys, there's something I think you should know." Hanamaru said.

"What is it, Maru?" Yō moved to rest her head on Hanamaru's lap.

Hanamaru scratched Yō's ears, "Dia… She's pregnant."

"What!?" Everyone was completely shocked and confused.

"It appears that after the Ruby rescue, her and Riko decided to use one of those heir potions. You know, the ones that give you the male parts so you can have a baby together? Yeah, they used one of those and, well, you can see the outcome of that." Hanamaru explained.

"Is she going to keep it?"

"I don't know. That's something I'll discuss with her when we get back." Hanamaru shrugged.

"I can see why she'd be so dull. It's hard enough losing a lover, but having their child and them being gone, it definitely is tough." Mari said.

"What are we going to do with the Diamond kingdom now?" Leah asked.

"I'm not sure. It's really up to Dia and Ruby what becomes of it. They're the rightful successors to the throne." Sarah replied.

"Mari, are you going to return as Queen for the Shining kingdom?" Leah asked.

"I don't know. I've been thinking about it. I was actually thinking that maybe the Shining and Diamond kingdoms could combine into one." Mari replied.

"That might work. But, how exactly do you plan to do it?"

"I was thinking it would be a shared leadership. I would rule one half and she'd rule the other. But, we'd work together." Mari replied.

"You'll need a King at some point. And an heir."

"That's why I have Kanan!" Mari smiled as she pulled Kanan into hug.

"Oh… alright then. I guess you have a lot planned out."

"Yep." Mari smiled at the compliment.


	22. Decisions

After almost a month, the knights had finally returned. They were greeted warmly and sent off to rest. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the traveling. Sarah and Leah went to go and report what had happened. Mari, Kanan, Hanamaru, and Yō went to go find where Dia, Ruby, and Chika were at.

They ran into Chika in the hallways. She greeted them happily and then led them to where Dia and Ruby were at. They were in the room that Dia and Riko had been using. Yohane was with them and visible, though she was transparent. Ruby had finally warmed up to Yohane. She wasn't afraid of her anymore.

She had been a little jumpy around Riko as well. She was still getting comfortable with her as a ghost. It wasn't as bad as her reactions to Yohane had been, so no one worried too much about it.

The five of them entered into the room. Dia and Ruby looked at them. Yohane glanced their way for a second. Mari walked over and took a seat beside Dia on the bed.

"How'd it go?" Dia asked.

"It went pretty well. Not too many casualties on our side." Mari said.

"How have you guys been?" Kanan asked as she took a seat as well.

Neither Dia nor Ruby answered that question. They both avoided eye contact. Kanan and Mari looked at each other.

"It's been tough, but things have been getting better." Yohane answered on their behalf.

"That's good."

"I suppose you guys are tired. We can talk more later." Yohane ushered them out of the room.

Hanamaru remained in the room. Yō decided to stay with her. Yohane looked at them with a confused gaze. She wasn't sure why they were staying. Kanan and Mari had left without a fight because it was obvious neither of the sisters wanted to talk right now.

"Dia, can we talk?" Hanamaru asked.

"Not now. Tonight. I don't want to risk anyone hearing us." Dia replied.

"Alright. Then we'll talk tonight." Hanamaru accepted the answer and then bid them a good day.

Her and Yō went to go and track down where Kanan and Mari had gotten to. Neither thought they'd be in the room resting like they should be. And they were right. Kanan and Mari were out in the gardens. They were playing with some frogs. Hanamaru and Yō sat beside them.

"Wanna pet him?" Kanan held out a frog to Hanamaru.

Hanamaru reached out and hesitantly felt the frog. She shuddered as she felt his wet skin. Kanan smiled as she set the frog back down and let him hop into the pond again.

"Hey, Maru? Um, why are witches always associated with turning people into frogs?" Mari asked.

Hanamaru chuckled at the question, "I wish I knew. I don't actually know any witch who has done that."

"So, it doesn't happen?" Mari asked.

"It might happen. But, it's not the common threat. Most of the time witches will just kill or erase the memories of whoever wronged them. It's pointless to waste magic on a spell like that." Hanamaru shrugged.

"Hmm… witches have so many things associated with them that aren't true." Kanan hummed.

"I sometimes have to do a lot of research to figure out where some of these legends came from… the things people come up with to explain things…" Hanamaru sighed.

"You know how people are."

**DIVIDER-- **

When night fell, Hanamaru got out of the bed. She struggled out of Kanan's grip.

"Maru? Where're you going?" Kanan mumbled as she woke up.

"To talk to Dia. She wanted it at night so there's less chance of someone overhearing us." Hanamaru explained.

"Alright… have fun." Kanan yawned and then cuddled up next to Mari.

Yō and Chika were cuddled up on the floor. Neither stirred as Hanamaru crept past them.

Hanamaru left the room and made her way to where Dia was staying. She paused at the door when she heard talking. After a few seconds, she realized the voice belonged to Yohane. Hanamaru knocked on the door and then crept inside. She shut the door behind her and went to take a seat beside Dia.

"You made it. Anyone see you?" Yohane asked.

"No. Kanan woke up, but she's still in the room." Hanamaru replied.

"So… what do you want to talk about?" Dia asked.

"I think you know. What do you want to do?" Hanamaru asked her.

Dia shrugged, "I don't know…"

"You don't have too much time left to figure it out. My magic soon won't work on you." Hanamaru said.

"What do you recommend I do?" Dia asked.

Hanamaru sighed, "I don't know. It depends on what you plan to do. If you're going to reclaim the throne, it might not be wise to bring a child into the world so soon."

"Will the child even be normal?" Yohane asked.

Hanamaru shrugged, "I can't tell that. It's not my specialty."

"Why do you say that?" Dia asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Well, sometimes using magic to conceive ends up with the baby having some issues. It's not a guarantee, but it is a possibility. It's heightened as well." Yohane explained.

"Is there any way to tell?"

"I think Sarah might have the magic to do it." Hanamaru stated.

"I don't want her to know." Dia stated firmly.

"Then you won't find out." Hanamaru replied calmly.

"Shouldn't Riko be part of this?" Yohane asked.

"She doesn't get to make the decision." Hanamaru stated, "She's not the one going through it."

"But still, shouldn't she be able to have an opinion?" Yohane defended.

"I don't want her to participate. This is Dia's decision only. I don't want her to persuade her to do something." Hanamaru responded firmly.

"Fine… I'm gonna go find Riko. She went on a walk and it's been a while." Yohane said and then promptly faded from sight.

"Dia, what do you feel? Do you feel ready for a kid?" Hanamaru asked.

"I don't know… I'm not sure if I am." Dia replied.

"You have a little bit of time left. Once the full moon comes, my magic won't affect you." Hanamaru said.

"Why? Why does your magic work like that?" Dia asked.

Hanamaru shrugged, "I'm not sure. It just is how it is for all witches that practice legal magic. Black magic is a different story."

"Maru, do you think I'll be okay? I'm just worried about… giving birth. After what happened with me, is there a chance I'll have the same problem?" Dia finally admitted her worry.

"There's always a chance of something going wrong. It's not a genetic thing, though, so don't worry too much. And, plus, you have me. I'll help you through it." Hanamaru did her best to reassure Dia.

"I think I've made my decision." Dia stated.

"Alright. What did you decide?"

"I want to keep them." Dia said.

"Okay. If that's what you wish, then that's what we'll do." Hanamaru nodded.

"You think I'll be a good parent?" Dia asked quietly.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine." Hanamaru replied.

"I hope so."

"Goodnight." Hanamaru got up to leave.

"Um… can you stay? I don't like being alone in this place…" Dia mumbled.

"Alright. I'll stay." Hanamaru nodded and climbed into the other side of the bed.

They stayed on opposite ends of the bed. Hanamaru didn't take long to fall asleep again. Dia, on the other hand, was taking a lot longer. She couldn't stop her mind from worrying. She didn't know how good she'd do as a parent. She didn't want to fail like her parents did.

She was startled as Yohane and Riko fazed through the door and into the room. Yohane stared questioningly at Hanamaru.

"I asked her to stay." Dia mumbled.

"Alright. I don't really care." Yohane shrugged.

Riko made her way over to where Dia was, "What did you decide?"

"I'm keeping them. I think I can do it." Dia stated.

"I'm sure you'll make a wonderful mother." Riko smiled.

"You'll be around, right?" Dia asked.

Riko nodded, "Of course. They're my child too. I want to be a part of their life as well."

Dia smiled. Riko became solid and hugged Dia. She shifted Dia over so she could lay down beside her on the bed. Dia curled up next to her. Riko smiled and planted a soft kiss on Dia's head. Dia soon fell asleep. Riko rested her down onto the bed and pulled the covers over her. Once she was satisfied, she vanished from the living eye.

**DIVIDER-- **

The next morning, everyone had been gathered to discuss what was going to happen next. The Diamond and Shining kingdoms currently had no ruler in their vicinity. They needed to discuss how they were going to change that.

"I think it's best if we combine the kingdoms into one." Mari suggested.

"Why do you think that?" The Queen of the Snow kingdom asked.

"Well, we're both young… we need to help each other out. Maybe after things get into a norm, we'll separate. I think, at first, it would be beneficial to both kingdoms if they were working together." Mari explained.

"I think that's a good idea." Dia stated.

"I suppose with the way you put it, it does seem beneficial. Next question, how will you rule? You'll need a King alongside you."

"I have Kanan." Mari stated.

"I… I don't need a King. Ruby can substitute that place." Dia said.

"What about an heir? How are either of you getting one?"

"Well, there are potions that can make it possible." Mari stated, "We can use that or magic to do it."

"And for you?" The Queen looked at Dia.

Dia looked down at the ground, "I… I'm pregnant."

"By who?"

"R-Riko."

The Queen sighed, "So, both of you are having a baby with a girl then… I'm disappointed in you, Dia. You're too young. You shouldn't be having a kid at your age."

Dia frowned. She knew eventually someone would scold her for her decisions. Dia knew the Queen was right. She was too young to really be thinking of having a kid. Most didn't have a child until they were almost 26. Dia was only 17.

"Mari, I hope you aren't planning to have a child anytime soon." The Queen turned to Mari.

"No. I'm not planning that yet." Mari stated.

"Good."

Mari had turned 18 a few days ago. She was a year older than Dia and Kanan were. Even then, she was still too young.

"I'll leave you be. Whenever you're ready, you can go and reclaim the kingdoms." The Queen got up and left.

Once the Queen had left, Mari turned and pulled Dia into a hug. Dia hugged her back.

"Don't listen to her. You shouldn't be ashamed." Mari stated, "I'm sure you'll make a wonderful mother."

"But, she's right… I'm too young…" Dia mumbled.

"Maybe you are young. That doesn't mean much. You can still be a wonderful parent." Mari replied.

**DIVIDER-- **

They remained at the Snow kingdom castle for another week. After that, they started to get ready. It was time to take control of their kingdoms. The plan was very simple. Mari and Kanan were going to the Shining kingdom, along with Chika. They were going to announce the decisions to the citizens and then get everything working again. Once everything was back in order, they would travel to the Diamond kingdom. It was decided that both of them would rule from the same castle. They decided the Diamond kingdom castle was the one they wanted to use.

Dia, Ruby, Hanamaru, and Yō were going to go to the Diamond kingdom first. They would remain there and get things back in order. Riko was going to follow them. Yohane was still unsure who she wanted to go with. She decided eventually that she'd go with Mari and Kanan.

"So, we'll see you guys in hopefully two months."

"Yep. Best of luck."

With that, the two groups parted ways to go to their respective locations. They hoped that by a month after their arrival they'd have everything back in order. They'd still be communicating through telepathy.

"So, you think you're ready to rule a kingdom?" Kanan asked Mari.

"I'm not sure. I think I'll be fine. How about you?" Mari replied.

"I don't know… I've never been high up in the classes. I have no idea what this is." Kanan sighed.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. We'll work through it all together." Mari reassured her.

"Hey, Mari. What became of that marriage contract?" Chika asked.

"Oh, he was taken in by a new kingdom." Mari replied.

"So… looks like our lives aren't getting any less hectic." Kanan sighed.

Mari chuckled, "I guess not."

"It's gonna be really fun! I bet you guys are going to make great rulers!" Chika stated as she jumped onto Kanan's shoulders.

"I hope so…" The both of them replied.

**DIVIDER-- **

"So, why exactly was this the arrangement we made?"

"Well, you two should stay together… and you need me more than they do." Hanamaru said.

"Why am I here?" Yō asked.

"For protection." Hanamaru stated, "You're the only one who really knows how to fight."

"I guess that's true." Yō nodded.

"Yō, can you come here?" Ruby asked.

Yō got up from her place beside Hanamaru and moved over to where Ruby was at. Ruby reached a hand out and pet Yō's head. Yō curled up beside Ruby and rested her head in her lap. Ruby continued to pet Yō. She had finally warmed up to her and didn't think she was that scary.

"Do you think it'll be easy to fix everything?" Hanamaru asked.

"I don't know… I have no clue what all is broken…" Dia sighed, "This could be a lot of work."

"Don't overwork yourself, alright?" Hanamaru said.

"I'll try not to." Dia promised.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Can we sleep outside tonight?" Chika asked as they came to a halt for the night.

"I don't see why not." Kanan replied.

The three of them set up a small bed. The knights driving the carriage went and slept inside of it.

After a few minutes, Yohane appeared before them. She sat beside them on the bed. Chika wasted no time in curling up with her. She was really clingy to Yohane, even more than before. Chika hated that she only got to spend a few hours a day with Yohane. She really wished the rumors about animals being able to see ghosts were true.

"You two ready for this?" Yohane asked Mari and Kanan.

"I guess so…" Kanan mumbled.

"Nervous?"

"Well, yeah. I've never run anything before. How do you expect me to start with an entire kingdom?" Kanan asked.

"You'll learn. I'm sure things will be fine." Yohane reassured her.

"That's all we can really hope for."

After that, everyone settled into the bed. Yohane pet Chika as she stared up at the sky. It wasn't very full of light. There weren't many stars out.

**DIVIDER-- **

"So, I guess we should rest."

"Where are we sleeping?"

"It's a little too dark to go out and sleep. Let's stay in here."

"Alright."

The three of them settled down inside their carriage. Dia and Ruby were cuddled close to each other while Yō was lying halfway on top of Hanamaru. Hanamaru was hugging Yō.

Riko manifested herself before them. She sat between the two groups.

"Hey… how're you doing?" Dia greeted her.

"I'm good. It gets lonely not being able to talk to you guys for very long." Riko replied.

"Maybe soon you'll be able to stay around for longer…" Dia mumbled as she stifled a yawn.

"Maybe. Goodnight." Riko placed a kiss on Dia and Ruby's heads.

Yō let out a whine. Riko laughed softly as she moved to give Yō a kiss as well. Yō gave her a smile, well, whatever a wolf's smile looked like. Hanamaru didn't say anything. She just watched the scene.

It wasn't long before all of them drifted off. Riko watched them all for a moment, before she vanished from sight.


	23. Restoring Order

After almost a month of travel, the two groups made it to where they needed to be. As Mari, Kanan, and Chika walked through the main Shining town, there were a lot of people watching them. Mari walked to the center of the town. She took a deep breath and called attention to herself. Kanan stood beside her with Chika on her shoulders.

The knight supplied by the Snow kingdom for the travel were standing by and making sure no one tried anything. They were to protect them until they were dismissed.

"Everyone! I am the Queen of this kingdom now!" Mari told the people that had gathered, "This kingdom and the Diamond kingdom are going to become one. It might not be permanent, but for now we are one kingdom."

Mari looked over at Kanan, "This is Kanan. She is going to be the King."

There were murmurs in the crowd. The announcement wasn't exactly what they were expecting to hear. It was still very uncommon for royalty to be dating or married to the same gender.

"If anyone has a problem with that, I would suggest you leave. We will not tolerate any hate." Mari stated firmly.

After she finished, her and Kanan went to the castle. It was exactly how it had been left, save for there no longer being dead bodies and blood around. Mari was greeted by the knights that worked for her. She dismissed the Snow kingdom knights.

"Let's see what we have to do to fix this." Mari said as her and Kanan walked into the castle.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Looks like things have been going smoothly despite there being no one to enforce anything." Dia commented as they walked to the castle.

They had gotten out of the carriage at the main town entrance and started walking. They had already told the knights to leave.

"Well, at least that's one less thing to fix." Ruby said.

"True." Dia nodded.

They got looks as well as they walked. Most of the citizens stared at them with wary eyes. After what had occurred with the previous rulers, they weren't very trusting. Dia knew she had her work cut out for her. It would take a lot to gain back the trust of the citizens.

"Let's see how the castle is doing. Once we do that, why don't we make the announcement about what's going on?" Hanamaru suggested.

"Sounds good to me."

The four of them picked up their paces. It wasn't long before they reached the castle. Dia took a deep breath and opened the doors. It was a horrid sight. There was still blood everywhere. The knights may have been disposed of, but not anything else.

"Ruby, don't come in." Dia quickly stated.

She tugged Hanamaru inside and told Yō to stay with Ruby. Hanamaru gagged at the sight.

"Can you do anything about this?" Dia asked.

Hanamaru nodded, "Yeah. I can clean it up."

She flicked her hand toward the mess and it vanished. Hanamaru walked down the hall and continued to do that to any blood she found. Dia called Ruby and Yō inside. Yō sniffed the air. She knew why Dia had refused to let Ruby come in. It still smelled of blood to her because of how sensitive her nose was.

"If you'd like, you can go and rest." Dia told Ruby, "I can handle the announcement."

"Okay." Ruby nodded and headed off to go find her room. Yō went after her.

Hanamaru soon came back. She informed Dia that everything was now clean.

"Shall we go tell everyone the plan?" Dia asked.

Hanamaru nodded. The two of them went out of the castle and into the town. There was a small area that the royalty members always tended to use for announcements. Dia took a deep breath and then walked up to it.

Citizens slowly started to gather. They eyed Dia with wary eyes. Hanamaru hesitantly moved and stood beside Dia. A lot of the citizens looked at her. They knew exactly who she was. She was still wanted in the kingdom, after all.

"Everyone. As you know, the King and Queen are dead. I am going to be taking over as the new ruler." Dia started the announcement, "The Shining kingdom is going to combine with this kingdom for a while. If there are any issues with what I have told you, feel free to pack up and leave."

The crowd murmured to each other. They were discussing the new announcements. It was unheard of for kingdoms to combine like that.

"Also, this witch here," Dia nodded to Hanamaru, "is no longer wanted. She is a member of the castle again."

The talking in the crowd got louder. Most of them couldn't believe the news. After all this time, suddenly Hanamaru was being forgiven. There were also rumors that it was because Hanamaru "cursed" Dia, so that was why she was being taken off the wanted list.

Dia grabbed Hanamaru by her hand and started walking away. They made their way back to the castle. Dia sighed once they got away from everyone.

"You did good out there." Hanamaru commented.

"That was easy. Now, the hard part… we need to restaff the entire castle…" Dia groaned.

"I guess that will be tough. But, that's something we can worry about later. Why don't you go and rest?" Hanamaru ushered Dia to her room.

"I guess I can take a little bit of a break." Dia said.

"I'll go and make something for you guys to eat. Take it easy for now." Hanamaru said and then closed the door.

**DIVIDER-- **

"This is a lot harder than I thought it would be…" Mari sighed as she plopped down onto the bed beside Kanan.

"No duh. Running an entire kingdom is tough." Kanan replied tartly as she shifted over to not be crushed by Mari.

"Kanan? Do you think things will go smoothly?" Mari asked with worry in her voice.

Kanan sighed, "I don't know… I won't lie to you, it doesn't seem likely we'd get by without any issues. The only thing is, I don't know what type of issues to be worrying about."

"I'm honestly more worried about the others. They have no knights anymore. What if someone attacks them?" Mari asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Yō is with them. She can fight. And, Maru can use a weapon. She can make one appear with her magic. I think they can survive until we can meet up again." Kanan tried her best to reassure Mari.

"I'll take your word for it…" Mari said as she snuggled up beside Kanan.

Neither of them knew what they were doing. The kingdom was in desperate need of repair. The laws were horrible but the treatment of people was even worse. There had been a few riots over the new rule. Thankfully, they were small and easily taken care of. The knights were very good at dealing with any protestors.

"You think we can really fix this place?" Mari asked.

"I don't know, Mari. I really don't know." Kanan replied.

That answer was not what Mari had been wanting to hear. That meant there was a chance to fail. Mari didn't exactly know what failing would entail, but she knew it wasn't something she wanted to find out. She had a suspicion that failing would result in their executions.

Kanan wrapped an arm around Mari and pulled her closer. Mari responded by burying her face into Kanan's chest. Kanan placed a kiss on Mari's head.

"I'm worried… not just about us…" Mari mumbled, "With Dia being pregnant, things are a whole lot more complicated."

"Do you approve of her choice?" Kanan asked.

"I don't know… I really don't think she should be having a kid with what's going on…" Mari sighed, "But, if she thinks she can do it, who am I to say otherwise?"

"I don't think it was a wise decision for them to ever use the potion at their ages." Kanan stated, "But, like you said, it's her choice for what happens."

"I'm tired…" Mari yawned.

"Get some rest." Kanan replied and kissed Mari on the head.

"You should rest too…" Mari mumbled.

"I will." Kanan promised her, "I just need to talk to Maru about how everything is going first."

**DIVIDER-- **

"You're telling me that people are really protesting?" Dia couldn't believe the news.

"Yes. That's what she told me. They don't like the fact that they're getting a ruler from the same bloodline." Hanamaru nodded.

"I'm glad we haven't had anything like that." Dia said, "We only have three knights."

"Shouldn't you just force people to serve like most do?" Hanamaru questioned.

Dia shook her head, "They're already wary of us. We can't do that. It'll break their trust."

"I guess that is true… this is tough." Hanamaru sighed.

"Do you think we can really fix this?"

"I'm sure we can if we try hard enough."

**DIVIDER-- **

It had taken them both almost two months to fix their kingdoms and get the combination in order. It had finally gone through. Mari, Kanan, and Chika finally we're arriving at the Diamond castle. They were free to leave now.

"I can't believe this is what our lives have come too…" Kanan sighed as she watched the court that was currently in session.

"Well, there aren't enough knights yet. You need someone to keep an eye on them." Yō replied.

Kanan and Yō were watching the citizens that came to make requests to the kingdom. They were in charge of stopping anyone from harming any others in the castle. The Diamond kingdom was still slowly getting more staff in it.

Mari was currently the one holding the session. Ruby was beside her learning what to do. Dia wasn't there. There was now a noticeable bump on her stomach. She wasn't supposed to let the citizens see. They would start up rumors.

These were dangerous grounds they were treading on. The moment anyone found out, things could change. The citizens had started making up a lot of rumors since Dia refused to accept anyone as her King. With Riko being gone, the citizens started wondering if something else was up.

Who knew what would happen once they learned of the child?


	24. A Second Farewell

The kingdom was slowly starting to get back together again. As the months passed, the Diamond kingdom managed to refill all the positions in the castle. It was almost like nothing had changed except for a new ruler.

Hanamaru and Dia were alone in Dia's room. Dia hadn't really shown herself to the citizens or even the staff in a while. She was nervous about them finding out about her being pregnant.

"It should be any day now. Are you worried?" Hanamaru asked.

Dia nodded, "A little… I'm just worried about how the citizens are going to react…"

"I wish I could say it will be alright, but I can't make any promises." Hanamaru sighed.

"Do you think there's anything that might set them off worse than others?" Dia asked.

Hanamaru nodded, "Unfortunately. If this child ends up with a problem… I think they'll get really bad."

"Do you think they will?" Dia asked.

"I don't know…" Hanamaru replied, "I wish I could tell, but I can't."

Everyone was on edge. Dia was due soon. They all knew that once she had the baby, there would be no stopping the word from getting out. The rumors had gotten worse as time went on. Everyone was aware of them. They knew just how much worse these rumors could turn if things went wrong with this child.

Someone was always with Dia no matter what time of day. When it was night, normally Yohane and Riko would do it so the others could rest. In the day, they all alternated.

…

"Maru, it's time!"

After another week, it was time for the baby to come. Hanamaru and Mari were in the room with Dia. Kanan stood guard at the door with Yō. Chika had gone into the room after a while. Ruby was being occupied somewhere else. She didn't need to be a part of this at her age.

Yō was nervously pacing around. Kanan was trying her best to stay still and focused. It was hard to do. They could hear some noise from inside the room. Neither knew if those sounds were common or not.

After what felt like ages, Mari opened the door and called them inside. Kanan and Yō slowly made their way into the room. Hanamaru was holding the baby, who was wrapped in a blanket. Chika was curled up beside Dia, who was asleep.

"Is she doing okay?" Kanan asked.

"Yes. She's fine. It just drained her a lot." Hanamaru nodded.

"So, what's the verdict?" Yō asked.

Hanamaru hesitated answering, "Um…"

Kanan and Yō both looked at each other. They knew that something was wrong.

"She doesn't have a leg." Mari said quietly.

Kanan walked over to Hanamaru. She carefully pulled the blanket aside and looked. The baby was missing a leg. Kanan re-covered her with the blanket and stepped back.

"What are we going to do? Once word gets out…" Yō didn't finish the sentence.

"I don't know… I really don't know…" Hanamaru replied.

"Mari, increase the security of the castle. If something is going to happen, we best be prepared for it." Kanan told Mari.

"Alright. I'll do that, then." Mari nodded.

"What about if the staff cause problems?" Chika asked.

"Take care of them as you see fit." Kanan stated.

**DIVIDER-- **

It had only been a few hours when the rumors started. Dia was confined to her bed for the time being. She was weak after that. It was getting later in the day. Dia was rocking her baby. She hadn't decided on a name for her yet.

"How are you doing?" Hanamaru came into the room.

"I'm okay." Dia replied.

"How is she doing?" Hanamaru took the baby from Dia so she could examine her.

"She's been really calm." Dia replied.

"Has bonding been going okay?"

Dia nodded, "She's taken to me really well."

"That's good." Hanamaru handed the baby back to Dia, "Decided on a name yet?"

"No… I can't find one that fits." Dia sighed, "I don't know why, but I just really am picky about her name."

"You don't need to decide yet. I'm sure the perfect name will come to you soon."

"Yeah…" Dia looked down at her daughter, "I love her a lot. Even if she is different, she's still perfect to me."

"I'm glad to hear that. There's a lot of parents out there who toss babies like her into the streets because they don't want them."

"I've never understood how people can be so cruel…" Dia whispered.

"I don't necessarily think they're to blame completely. It's the stupid religions and their superstitions that cause these things…" Hanamaru said, "Most people believe a child born deformed means they are possessed by the devil."

Dia gulped, "That's definitely not going to help us…"

"What do you mean?"

"You know the rumors already. If they believe I'm cursed and then they find out about this…" Dia trailed off and pulled her daughter closer.

"I promise that we won't let anyone hurt you. Neither you nor your child have done anything wrong. No one is going to hurt you." Hanamaru stated firmly.

Dia said nothing in reply. She didn't believe her at all. Hanamaru soon left to go check on something else. Dia sighed as she rested against the backboard of the bed. She was bored.

**DIVIDER-- **

It was a bit later in the day. Night had fallen. Almost everyone in the kingdom knew about the new baby. Everyone was on edge about that still.

Dia was just settling into bed for the night. Just as she closed her eyes, she heard shouts coming from all over the castle. Dia didn't know what to think about it. The baby woke up and started crying from the noise. Dia picked her up from her crib and rocked her.

The door to the room opened up. Dia froze when she saw it wasn't someone she knew. It was a citizen. A very angry looking citizen. Dia gulped and instinctively pulled her daughter closer. Dia didn't know what she could do. She was too weak to get up. Her lower body was almost paralyzed. Thanks to Hanamaru, it wasn't permanent, but it wouldn't recover for a while.

"What do you want?" Dia tried her best to sound strong. She grabbed for the knife that Kanan had left in the room just in case.

"The child is cursed." The man stated, "Why do you allow it to live?"

"She is not an it! She is my child! And she isn't cursed!" Dia defended as she held her baby closer. She knew why the man was here. He wanted to kill her child and possibly her as well.

"That thing isn't human." The man spat as he held a blade out at them, "And I bet you aren't either."

He started moving closer. Dia held the knife out at him in reply. He wasn't fazed by it at all. Just before he could reach them, he was suddenly pushed back. Riko appeared to them. She was holding him back with all of her strength. She had a bit of extra power as a ghost and she was using it.

"I will not allow you to hurt either of them!" Riko growled as she kept pushing the man back.

The man wasn't giving up. Riko suddenly glowed brighter than normal. When the light died down, the man was now a dead body on the floor. Riko stepped back and stared at him in shock. She didn't know she could even do that.

Riko started to flicker between visible and invisible. After a moment, she vanished from sight. Footsteps sounded running close by. Yohane ran into the room. She looked at the scene and then vanished from sight as well. She could see something that Dia couldn't.

Riko was collapsed on the floor. Yohane knelt beside her. Riko was staring at nothing with wide eyes. She was breathing heavily. Yohane didn't know what to do. She had no idea what was going on.

Riko suddenly cried out and then she vanished into thousands of tiny particles. Yohane stared in shock as she realized what had just happened. Riko had used too much of her energy. She basically exploded, in a sense. Riko no longer existed, to put it simply.

Yohane appeared again and walked over to Dia, "There's some bad news…"

"What is it?" Dia asked worriedly as she kept rocking her daughter to try and calm her down.

"Riko is gone."

"What do you mean?" Dia felt tears forming in her eyes.

"She doesn't have a form anymore. She's gone. She only exists in memories. When you die, you won't see her. No one will know her. She doesn't exist in any realm." Yohane explained as she took the baby and put her in her crib.

Dia started crying at that news. She had lost Riko a second time. This time, there was no getting her back in any form. She was gone forever. Yohane threw her arms around Dia and held her as she sobbed.

A new set of footsteps approached. There was also the sound of claws clicking on the ground as well. Kanan and Yō came into the room.

"Is everything…" Kanan stopped speaking as she saw what was happening.

"What happened?" Yō asked as she jumped on the bed and nuzzled her face into Dia's.

"That guy… tried… tried to kill…" Dia was struggling to speak between her crying, "He tried to kill us… R-Riko killed him… and now she's gone…"

"What she means is that Riko used too much energy and basically exploded from it. Kinda like how some witches can die if all their magic is drained. Riko doesn't have a form anymore. I'm not sure if she still is coherent or if she doesn't even have a mind anymore." Yohane explained.

Kanan walked over to them and picked up the baby, who had started crying again. She shushed her as she watched the scene. Dia kept crying no matter what Yohane or Yō did.

Yohane muttered something to Yō. Yō ran off. Kanan assumed she was going to fetch Hanamaru. And she was right. A few minutes later, Hanamaru ran into the room with Yō at her feet. Hanamaru took over for Yohane and did her best to soothe Dia.

Yohane stood beside Kanan and watched with pained eyes. They all felt horrible. This was a terrible day.

Hanamaru whispered something and then the crying stopped. She laid Dia down on the bed.

"You put a sleep spell on her?" Yohane asked.

"What else could I have done?" Hanamaru shot back.

"Hey, chill. I'm just asking." Yohane winced.

"Sorry… it's just… it's all too stressful…" Hanamaru apologized.

"It's okay. I understand." Yohane replied.

"Is everyone gone?" Kanan asked as she placed the now sleeping child in the crib.

"I think so." Hanamaru nodded.

"Who's going to stay with her?" Yohane asked.

"I'll stay." Hanamaru said.

"No." Kanan shook her head, "You need to go and help the wounded. I'll stay until you're done."

"Alright." Hanamaru sighed.

Yō stayed with Kanan. Yohane went after Hanamaru just to give her some company. Kanan sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window. Yō curled up around Dia in a protective manner.

There was still a chance that someone could be in the castle who wanted to inflict harm. The knights were patrolling to make sure they couldn't easily get inside.

**DIVIDER-- **

As the sun started rising, Hanamaru finally finished healing everyone. Yohane had vanished after a while to go and take a look around. Hanamaru let Chika climb onto her shoulder and then she walked to Dia's room.

Mari was in the room now as well. She was petting Yō. Kanan was holding the baby. She had woken up a while ago and was crying. Kanan was trying her best to calm her down. Dia was still asleep.

Hanamaru walked over to them all. She took the child from Kanan and calmed her down. Kanan pouted at Hanamaru. It had taken her very little time to calm her down. Hanamaru handed the baby back to Kanan and then went to examine Dia.

"Has she woken up?" Hanamaru asked.

"No." Kanan shook her head.

Hanamaru rested her palm onto Dia's chest and used her magic to check how her body was healing. She was doing well. It shouldn't be long before she recovered fully. Hanamaru pulled away.

"You can go and rest. I'll watch her." Hanamaru told Kanan.

"Alright. Just let me know if you need anything." Kanan stood up and set the baby down into the crib.

Mari went with Kanan. Chika debated it for a while and then went after them. Yō stayed behind. She was still curled up around Dia. She had moved to let Hanamaru examine her, but then moved right back once she was done. Hanamaru sat beside Yō and pet her.

"How do you think she's going to be once she wakes up?" Yō asked.

Hanamaru shrugged, "I don't know."

It wasn't too long after that they got their answer. Dia opened her eyes and looked around. Yō got off of her so she could sit up.

"How are you feeling?" Hanamaru asked as she helped Dia into a sitting position.

Dia didn't reply. She looked down and just stared at the bed. Yō tried to draw her attention by nudging her, but it did nothing. Yō didn't want to be too rough with her since she was injured.

"I know it's going to be hard. But, you need to try to get better. You can't stay in the past." Hanamaru stated.

"What do you know?"

"You can't keep feeling sorry for yourself. You have someone to take care of now." Hanamaru placed the baby on Dia's lap.

Dia stared at her for a moment, before picking her up and holding her close. Hanamaru and Yō looked at each other.

"Her name is Rika."

"Alright. Any reason you chose that name?" Hanamaru asked.

"After Riko…"

"I think that's a nice way to do it." Yō said.

"You have to stay strong, Dia. You have to be here for your daughter." Hanamaru stated, "That doesn't mean you have to hide your emotions though."

"Okay…"

"I'll go get you something to eat." Hanamaru said and then left the room.


	25. Moving On

As time went on, the citizens slowly started to stop their riots. A lot of them weren't happy with Dia. They didn't like that she had a child who wasn't normal. A few protests had happened since the big riot. Nothing ever came out of them. Things seemed to be getting better.

It had been almost three months since that day. It was a long journey to get back to normal. Dia had struggled for a while. She didn't like not having Riko around anymore. It hurt a lot.

Her daughter, Rika, was growing up well despite her missing leg. She was acting just like any other kid. She was very fond of Chika. Chika loved to snuggle up with her in her bed. Yō was jealous she couldn't do that yet. She knew she would have to wait until Rika got older.

Kanan had finally gotten the hang of how to be royal. She wasn't as afraid to actually do tasks. She would help out with the meetings now. Her and Mari had officially gotten married a few days back. Everything was going well.

It was just another night. Everyone was gathered in the living room around the fireplace. It was cold in the castle. Ruby was playing with Yō. Kanan and Mari were snuggling. Dia was holding Rika while Chika kept trying to cuddle with her. Hanamaru was sitting by herself and reading something.

After a few minutes, Yohane appeared and made her way to the center of their little circle they had created. Everyone looked up at her. She seemed different.

"Guys… I think it's time." Yohane said, "I'm crossing over."

"What!?" Hanamaru was instantly on her feet and running to Yohane's side.

"Whatever I had to do has been accomplished. It's time for me to go." Yohane said as she hugged Hanamaru.

"No… please…" Hanamaru begged.

"Shh… you'll be okay. I promise I'll still visit you in your dreams." Yohane reassured her.

"But… but I want you to be here…"

"I'm sorry. I can't stop it."

"I need you. You can't go." Hanamaru pleaded as tears started streaming down her face.

"You don't need me. You keep trying to lie to yourself. I know you'll be fine without me." Yohane brushed away the tears.

"I need you." Hanamaru repeated.

"You have them. You'll be fine." Yohane stated.

"You can't leave me…"

"I'm sorry." Yohane stepped away from Hanamaru.

Kanan walked over and held Hanamaru close. Yohane took one last look at everyone. She smiled and started to glow brighter. After a minute, she had disappeared from sight. She had crossed over.

Hanamaru was sobbing into Kanan's chest. She didn't want Yohane to go. She knew it was selfish of her, but she didn't care. Kanan did her best to calm Hanamaru down.

"It's alright…" Kanan whispered, "You'll be okay."

"I want her back…" Hanamaru whispered.

"You can see her in your dreams." Kanan replied.

"I guess… but, it isn't the same." Hanamaru sighed.

She knew she shouldn't be complaining. She was lucky. She was still able to see Yohane. That was why she was whispering to Kanan. She didn't want Dia to hear her.

"Why don't we all turn in for the night?" Mari asked.

Everyone agreed with that and headed off to their rooms. Chika went to stay with Hanamaru. Normally, she liked to be with Dia and Rika. Kanan and Mari headed off to their room. Yō decided she would replace Chika for the night.

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru had a tough time falling asleep. She just kept tossing and turning. Chika was on a pillow watching Hanamaru. She was trying to not get hit as Hanamaru turned.

"What's the issue? You should be excited to sleep." Chika nuzzled into Hanamaru's face.

"I just can't find a comfortable way to lay." Hanamaru sighed.

"Do you want to snuggle with me?" Chika asked.

"I guess." Hanamaru mumbled.

Chika stood up and curled up by Hanamaru's face. Hanamaru placed an arm around Chika and closed her eyes. She managed to fall asleep like that.

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru opened her eyes to a white landscape. She looked around in confusion. She had no clue where she was or how she got here.

"I told you I'd come see you in your dreams."

Hanamaru turned around to see Yohane was standing behind her. Hanamaru smiled and ran over to her. Yohane smiled at her. The two of them hugged.

"I love you!" Hanamaru kissed Yohane on the cheek.

"I love you too." Yohane kissed her on the head.

After a little bit, they separated. Yohane led Hanamaru deeper into the land. Hanamaru stared in awe at everything around. It was so beautiful.

"This is my home now." Yohane said.

"I wish it wasn't." Hanamaru replied.

"So do I. But, there's nothing we can do about it." Yohane said.

"Do you know anything about Riko?" Hanamaru asked.

"Yes. I do know something." Yohane nodded.

Hanamaru's eyes lit up, "What is it?"

"Well, she's still kinda conscious." Yohane explained.

"Is there anything we can do?"

Yohane nodded, "Yes. There is one thing."

"What?" Hanamaru demanded.

"There's a chance for her to be reborn. If someone gets pregnant in a week, I could probably convince the rulers here to make her the child." Yohane explained.

"Really?"

"They said they'd do it." Yohane nodded.

"So… I guess I'll see about that."

"Our time is up to meet tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru woke up. It was still quite dark outside. She jumped out of the bed. Chika startled at the movement. She watched Hanamaru with a confused expression. Hanamaru ran out of the room.

She slowed down as she reached her destination. Hanamaru took a deep breath and then knocked on the door. She walked in the room and shut the door behind her. Yō and Dia were sitting up on the bed staring at Hanamaru. They were both very confused.

"What is it?" Yō asked.

"I talked to Yohane. She told me something." Hanamaru stated as she moved to sit beside them on the bed.

"What did she tell you?" Dia asked.

"She said that Riko is still conscious. And, she also said there's a chance she could be reborn." Hanamaru stated.

"Really?"

Hanamaru nodded, "Yep."

"But, how exactly?" Yō asked.

"If someone gets pregnant before a week is up, she can be reborn." Hanamaru said.

"But who would do that?"

"That's the issue…" Hanamaru sighed, "I don't know who would do it…"

"Maybe you could ask Kanan and Mari?" Yō suggested.

"I don't know."

"It doesn't hurt to ask."

"Alright," Hanamaru said, "I'll go and ask them."

Hanamaru said goodbye to them and left the room. She took her time to walk to the next stop. Hanamaru went back to her room first. She wanted to make the potion needed first. It didn't take long at all. They had been nice enough to set up her room with stuff for experiments.

Chika watched Hanamaru. She was concerned and confused. Hanamaru was acting weird to Chika.

"Maru, what are you doing?" Chika asked.

"Making something." Hanamaru replied vaguely.

"What is that something?" Chika pestered.

"You'll find out eventually." Hanamaru stated.

She finished the potion and then left the room with it. Chika tried to follow her, but she was told to stay. Chika frowned. She was confused. She just wanted to know what was up.

Hanamaru walked to Kanan and Mari's room. She knocked on the door and announced herself. She was told to come in. Hanamaru walked inside and shut the door. She kept the potion hidden in her outfit. She didn't want them to be able to see it.

"What's up, Maru?" Kanan asked.

"There's something we need to discuss." Hanamaru stated.

"Well then, come on and sit down." Mari motioned her over to the bed.

Hanamaru took a seat between them, "So… I talked to Yohane…"

"What did she say?"

"Well, she's doing fine. She also said that Riko is still conscious even without a form." Hanamaru started.

"That's good."

"If someone gets pregnant before this week is up, she is able to be reborn." Hanamaru said hesitantly.

"I assume you're asking if we'll do it?" Kanan asked.

Hanamaru nodded, "Yes… obviously, it's your choice, but you guys are really the only ones I think we could trust with this."

"Can you even get pregnant yourself, Maru?" Mari asked, before flushing red from embarrassment.

Hanamaru shook her head, "No. Magic prevents children from forming. You need to use magic blockers to have a child and those can have some nasty side effects."

"Is the child guaranteed to have magic?" Kanan asked.

Hanamaru shrugged, "It depends on the type of witch. For me, yes, the child would have magic. For someone like Yohane, though, the child isn't guaranteed it, but could get it."

"What about black magic?"

"Black magic isn't something you can be born with. It's something you get by casting forbidden spells often. A spell or two over a few years won't do it, but a spell a day definitely would." Hanamaru replied.

"Can you ever get rid of black magic?" Mari asked.

Hanamaru shook her head, "Not really. If you try, the magic will kill you. You're stuck with it for eternity as a punishment."

"Jeez, witches are complicated."

"You're telling me." Hanamaru rolled her eyes.

"Kanan, can we talk in private?" Mari tugged Kanan into the dresser.

Hanamaru waited. She knew they were discussing if they wanted to do this. She worried they wouldn't. Hanamaru wanted to give Riko the chance to be reborn.

After a while of waiting, Kanan and Mari returned. They sat on the bed.

"We'll do it." Mari said.

"You will?"

"Yeah. I think we can manage it." Kanan nodded.

Hanamaru pulled out the potion and gave it to them, "You'll need this."

"Thank you."

"I should get back to my room. I haven't told Chika what's going on and she's getting mad." Hanamaru left the room.

Kanan held the potion and looked at it, "So… who's going to use it?"

"I think I should." Mari stated, "I don't think it'd be wise for me to get pregnant. You can't run the kingdom well and who knows how long it'll be till Dia is well enough to help out again."

"That's true." Kanan agreed, "I guess we'll do it that way."

"You know, I still wonder why they decided the way they did. I feel it would've made more sense for Riko to be the one who got pregnant." Mari said as she took the bottle from Kanan and opened the potion.

"You do realize that they could've easily just tossed Riko out like trash. It had to be Dia." Kanan reasoned.

"Oh… yeah…" Mari mumbled.

She sniffed the potion. It smelled weird. She took a deep breath and then drank it. Kanan took the empty bottle and set it aside. Mari was flushed bright red as she felt the potion start working.

"It's alright to go slow. Take your time."

**DIVIDER-- **

A few days had passed. Hanamaru was anxiously waiting for night to fall. She was needing the confirmation from Yohane. She said that tonight they would know if Riko was going to be reborn or not. She already confirmed that Kanan and Mari had succeeded in their attempt. Only issue was that it was just reaching midday. She had a while to wait.

Dia might've recovered her mobility within a month, but her strength hadn't yet. She was slowly gaining back her strength. Hanamaru decided to go and see her. She had nothing else to do, so she decided doing some physical therapy with Dia could help make the time go by.

Hanamaru found her in the gardens. Kanan and Mari had taken Rika to go play and let Dia have some alone time. Yō seemed to have taken to Dia. She was always around her. Hanamaru wasn't sure if that was because she wanted to protect her or if she just formed an attachment.

"Hey. How's the new flower patch looking?" Hanamaru greeted them.

"It's off center." Dia stated.

"Oh… yeah, it is." Hanamaru sighed, "I'll tell them to fix it later, then."

"Do you need something?" Yō asked.

"No. I was just coming to see what you guys were up to." Hanamaru said.

"Alright."

"Unless, is there something you need from me?" Hanamaru asked.

"I don't think so."

"Dia, you're doing good? Nothing has gotten weaker, right?" Hanamaru asked.

"I'm good." Dia replied.

"How have you been with walking around?"

"I still have to take some breaks, but not as many as before." Dia said.

"That's good. I should hope by the next month you'll have almost all of your strength back." Hanamaru nodded.

"Are you doing anymore physical therapy?" Dia asked.

"I think so. You still need some." Hanamaru replied.

"Alright… I guess you know best."

"We don't have to do any today if you're not up to it. It's alright to take a break every once in a while." Hanamaru said.

"Okay. Can we skip it for today then? I'm not in the mood."

"That's fine." Hanamaru turned to Yō, "I have a question for you."

"What is it, Maru?" Yō asked.

"How come you've been hanging with her so much?" Hanamaru asked.

"Am I not allowed to?" Yō asked.

"No. You're able to hang with whoever. I'm just curious as to why." Hanamaru quickly stated.

"Oh… um, I don't know… I just feel like I should." Yō tried her best to explain.

"Okay. You can keep hanging with her. I don't care. Chika seems to have gotten clingy with me recently." Hanamaru said.

"Well, it's not like that's a bad thing." Yō said.

"It's not. I just assumed she'd cling to Kanan more." Hanamaru replied.

**DIVIDER-- **

It was finally night. Hanamaru was nervous. She didn't want to face Yohane now. She couldn't get the thought of her saying it didn't work out of her head. Hanamaru was afraid that might be the answer.

"Hey, Maru!" Chika came into the room and jumped on the bed, "Um, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. What's up?" Hanamaru looked at Chika.

"Um, apparently Sarah and Leah want to come by and visit." Chika said.

"Are they aware of the current situation?" Hanamaru asked.

Chika shook her head, "No. The knight have been very good at keeping this information in the kingdom."

"Go discuss that with Dia. She's the one who really gets a say in it." Hanamaru said.

"Okay. I'll tell her in the morning then." Chika said.

The two of them settle down into the bed. Chika curled up close to Hanamaru. Hanamaru hugged Chika with one arm. This was how they tended to sleep. Chika licked Hanamaru's nose and then settled down.

"Night, Chika…" Hanamaru yawned, "Sweet dreams."

"Night, Maru." Chika replied.

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru opened her eyes to the familiar landscape of white. Yohane was standing in front of her. They hugged and kissed as they always did at each meeting.

"So…" Hanamaru asked.

"It worked." Yohane smiled.

"Really? Oh thank god!" Hanamaru smiled and hugged Yohane again.

"I bet that eases your worries."

"There's something else…." Hanamaru mumbled.

"What is it?" Yohane asked.

"Sarah and Leah want to visit. They have no idea of what has gone down since we've parted ways." Hanamaru said.

"I think they'll be fine. It would be hypocritical of them to have issue with Rika since Sarah technically falls under the same category." Yohane tried to reassure Hanamaru.

"I guess… um, Yohane, can you talk to anyone else?" Hanamaru asked.

"I can. But, only one a night." Yohane replied.

"Oh… maybe you could visit Kanan tomorrow instead? She's always complaining about wanting to see you too." Hanamaru said.

"I suppose I could. So then, I'll see you in two days."

"Yep. Unless, of course, you want to visit someone else."

"I'll make sure to tell you first." Yohane said.

"Okay."

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru woke up late the next morning. Chika was pawing at her face and meowing at her. Hanamaru groaned and opened her eyes.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Chika greeted her, "It's almost noon."

"Oh…" Hanamaru sat up and stretched, "How long have you been trying to wake me for?"

"About ten minutes. I figured it was best to let you sleep in. You've been working really hard." Chika said as she nuzzled into Hanamaru's side.

"Did you talk to Dia?" Hanamaru asked.

Chika nodded, "She said it's fine if they want to visit."

"Alright. I'll send a note to them, then." Hanamaru said as she got off the bed.

"So, what's the verdict?" Chika asked as she climbed onto Hanamaru's shoulders.

"It worked." Hanamaru said.

"That's good!" Chika said.

"Anything I need to do?"

"Um… I don't think so." Chika thought about it but came up blank.


	26. Visitors

Two months had gone by. Sarah and Leah were due to arrive for a visit any day now. Dia had finally recovered her strength again. Yō still refused to leave Dia's side. Rika was growing up well still. There was one problem with her. She wasn't speaking at all. There were no baby noises coming from her. The only sound she made was when she cried.

Hanamaru tried to find a cause, but she came up empty every time. She was growing frustrated. She just wanted to make Rika better again.

Everyone had discussed the baby Kanan would have. They all agreed they should name her Riko since it technically was her. That was causing a few problems. Rika and Riko sounded extremely similar. They got around that by referring to Rika as "Ri" instead.

Yohane had informed Kanan that there was a slight chance for Riko to retain her memories from her previous life. None of them knew if that would turn out a good thing or a bad thing if that happened. They decided to hope it would be a good thing if she got her memories back.

"Your majesties, they have arrived." A knight told them.

Mari went out to go and greet them. She led them back to the living room where everyone else was currently at. They sat down together and greeted everyone.

Dia was hiding Rika's missing leg from being seen by covering her lower body with a blanket. She was nervous. Dia didn't think they would have anything bad to say, but she was still nervous about them finding out about it.

"So, is this your daughter?" Sarah asked.

Dia nodded, "Yes. Her name is Rika, but we call her Ri."

"She looks so cute."

"How old is she?" Leah asked.

"About five months." Dia replied.

"Can I hold her?"

Dia knew that was most likely going to happen. She didn't want to give Rika over. She wanted to keep her hidden.

"There's… something you need to know about her." Dia said.

"What is it?"

"She… she's uh, missing a leg. And, she doesn't make any noise aside from crying." Dia whispered.

Sarah and Leah didn't know how to respond to that. They didn't know if they should even say anything or not.

"It doesn't matter." Sarah said.

Dia hesitated, before she removed the blanket from Rika. She nervously handed Rika to Sarah. Sarah didn't show any reaction. She held Rika. Rika stared up at her with wide eyes. She smiled. Her mouth moved, but no noise came out.

"There's something that our healers call 'infant muteness'. It is caused by the vocal cords not forming when they're supposed to. Normally by the time they're one, they can make noise." Sarah said, "They sometimes can also half-grow, which would explain why she can cry with noise but not make any other sounds."

"It'll heal on its own?" Dia asked hopefully.

Sarah sighed, "It may. It's… complicated when it half-forms. It might not finish growing."

"Maru?" Kanan asked.

"I don't know if I can do anything. I can't make it grow." Hanamaru said, "All I could do is give all the functions to whatever is there."

"Could that cause problems?" Ruby asked.

Hanamaru nodded, "Yes. It can put too much strain on the cord and cause it to die."

"So, there's nothing we could do?" Dia asked.

"Sarah, your magic. What can it do?" Hanamaru asked.

"I don't know. I've never really tested it at all." Sarah shrugged.

"Perhaps we should. Your magic might be able to create things." Hanamaru said.

"You think so?" Sarah knew why Hanamaru was asking now.

"Yes." Hanamaru nodded.

"Well, I guess later on we could try and figure out what I can do." Sarah said.

"Alright. That's settled then."

They spent the next hour or so talking about how things have been going in both kingdoms. Things seemed to be going well for the both of them.

After lunch, everyone went off to do their own things. This was when Hanamaru decided to test Sarah's magic. They met in her room.

"So, let's start simple. Show me your magic." Hanamaru started.

Sarah held out her hand. Swirls of green started circling around her hand. Hanamaru nodded in approval.

"Alright. Make something." Hanamaru ordered next.

Sarah hesitated, before she formed a leaf in her hand. Hanamaru took the leaf and examined it. It wasn't very realistic in terms of physics.

"Make something that looks and feels real." Hanamaru crushed the leaf.

Sarah winced at her tone. She hesitantly tried again. She created another leaf. Hanamaru took it and examined it. It still wasn't living up to being real enough.

"Can you not make anything work realistically?" Hanamaru asked.

"I…" Sarah looked away, "I can't keep it for long…"

"You'll have to work on that." Hanamaru stated.

"How?" Sarah asked.

"Practice."

"You're going to train me?"

Hanamaru nodded, "I will."

"I've always shunned my magic. This is really weird. I've never liked it." Sarah said.

"Well, you're going to have to learn to at least like it." Hanamaru said.

"But it's wrong! I shouldn't have magic!" Sarah argued.

"I believe there's a reason for everything." Hanamaru replied.

"Well I don't!" Sarah stormed out of the room.

Hanamaru sighed. She knew this was going to be a battle. Sarah wasn't willing to put effort into her magic. If she didn't, there was no way they could could help Rika get her voice back. Hanamaru knew she had her work cut out for her. She was going to try again.

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru found Sarah in the garden. She approached her. Sarah looked back. She turned back around.

"Sarah, I understand this is sensitive." Hanamaru said, "But, I think it would do you some good to be able to use your magic."

"If anyone finds out, I'll be burned." Sarah stated.

"Then be careful. I still think you should learn how to use it." Hanamaru wasn't going to give up.

"What can I do with it?" Sarah asked.

"A lot of things. You could heal people from their wounds. You can create life itself. You can also take that life from people if you so wish to." Hanamaru replied, "Though, that's unadvised as it is dark magic."

"Do you know any way I could've gotten magic?" Sarah asked quietly.

"May I do a check?" Hanamaru asked, "Sometimes you can sense where the magic in the body originated from."

Sarah nodded. Hanamaru rested a hand on Sarah's shoulder. She closed her eyes and focused on sensing. Hanamaru pulled back after a few minutes.

"So?" Sarah asked.

"It's weird… it's coming from the heart like a pure witch would, but the feel isn't pure." Hanamaru did her best to explain it, "It's not possible to have magic start at the heart if it isn't something you're born with, and yet…"

"Do you know anything that might've happened?" Sarah asked.

Hanamaru thought about it. She couldn't think of any way that could happen. Then, her eyes suddenly lit up in realization.

"Removed magic." Hanamaru said.

"What's that?" Sarah asked.

"It means you were born with magic, but someone tried to get rid of it. Success can vary. That might explain why a test didn't show anything. Whoever had magic got it completely removed." Hanamaru explained.

"So… I actually… I'm a witch?" Sarah was trying to wrap her head around the news.

"It seems so. There is no other way your starting point can be the heart." Hanamaru confirmed.

"This is a lot…" Sarah mumbled, "I need some time."

"Of course. Take the time you need. You know where to find me if you need anything." Hanamaru said.

"Can you show me where I'll be staying?" Sarah asked.

Hanamaru nodded, "Of course."

The two of them walked back into the castle. Hanamaru showed Sarah to her room and then let her be. Hanamaru went to go and see what everyone else was up to.

**DIVIDER-- **

"I don't know about this."

"Yeah…"

"Should we really be doing this?"

"Of course we should be."

Kanan paused. She had been taking a walk around the castle grounds. She looked in the direction of where she heard the talking. Kanan crept over and looked. She spotted three girls gathering around something.

"It reeks of black magic. It'll easily be sensed."

"I'm going to hide the scent, idiot!"

"Why are we doing this?"

"If no one is willing to change this, then I'll do this myself."

"I don't get you. What's so wrong with the rule?"

Kanan gulped. She realized what was happening now. These girls were plotting something that had to do with the castle. Kanan moved a little closer and prayed she wouldn't be sensed. She needed to figure this out.

"It's not okay. I hate them being combined!"

Kanan sighed inaudibly at that. She knew people were still bitter about the combination. She didn't understand it at all. Nothing had really changed. The rules stayed almost exactly the same.

"What exactly are you planning to do?"

"It's simple, really. They have the Snow kingdoms princesses with them. If we can kidnap one and then say it was ordered by the crown, their alliance will be over. There'll be war and we can finally live the way we want to."

Kanan started panicking. She knew she needed to do something. The girls had a good plan. The citizens would instantly believe them. Even if Sarah and Leah didn't, it wasn't going to be in their favor.

"What is this going to do?"

"Change of plans. I'll actually show you."

The leader of the group stood up and grabbed the mysterious object. It was a rag. It had demonic symbols on it.

"You see, girls, it's a really easy to make contraption. It'll attack whoever it is thrown at and strangle them."

Kanan started backing away. The girl started walking toward where she was hiding at. Kanan knew she had been sensed. She tried to get out of there, but the girl was faster.

"Hello, your majesty. I suppose you heard everything." The girl jumped in front of Kanan.

Kanan took a step back. She looked around for an exit.

"I can't let you go now that you've heard." The girl held out the rag, "I won't allow our plan to be ruined."

The rag suddenly came to life and growled. Kanan was surrounded. She knew there was nothing she could do. She knew her fate was sealed.

"_Maru, can you hear me?_" Kanan tried to quickly contact her.

"_Yes. What's up?"_

"_There's a problem…"_

The rag flung itself at Kanan. It burned her skin at contact. Kanan screeched in pain as she fell to her knees.

"_What is it?"_

Kanan coughed as the rag tied itself around her neck. She was struggling to communicate.

"_I… I'm in trouble… I heard some girls talking about…"_ Kanan's connection cut off.

"_Kanan!? Can you hear me?"_

Kanan couldn't reply. She was barely conscious. The girls were laughing.

"Maybe we could use you instead. Order ransom and a change of rule for your safe return." The leader teased.

It wasn't long after that she had fallen unconscious. The rag released her and then vanished into dust. It was a one use only object. The girls smirked at each other as they took Kanan to their base.

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru was extremely worried. She hadn't gotten a word back from Kanan. She was trying to figure out what to do. She knew she should tell everyone, but she didn't want to cause any extra panic.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't last for very long.


	27. Ransom

"Maru, you need to come out here."

Hanamaru opened the door. Yō was there. She lead her to the living room. Everyone but Kanan was gathered there.

"Maru… someone's taken Kanan."

"I know. She contacted me when it was happening." Hanamaru replied bitterly.

"Did she say who did it?" Mari asked.

"No. She didn't get a chance to. All I know is that it's some girls who did this." Hanamaru said.

"What do they want with her?" Chika asked.

"Well, from this note, it appears they want the kingdoms to split again. They also want compensation for everything they've suffered from." Dia said as she handed Hanamaru the note so she could read it, "If we give them that, they said they would give her back unharmed."

"What do we do?" Yō asked.

"Let me see if I can track anything about this." Hanamaru said.

Everyone waited as Hanamaru felt the note for any sign of who had sent it.

"I think I got it."

"Where are they?"

"It seems they're at the outskirts. An abandoned shack." Hanamaru said.

"I know that place. Kids used to play there often." Dia said.

"Shall we go and get her back?" Mari asked.

"They have dark magic." Hanamaru stated, "It's dangerous. A lot more dangerous than you think."

"We can't just leave her there!" Mari protested.

"Of course not. But, you can't just rush into this." Hanamaru tried to calm Mari.

"What do you recommend we do?" Dia asked Hanamaru.

"Honestly, I think this is something only I should do. It's too risky for you guys. Dark magic isn't something you want to come into contact with if you don't have any form of protection. Being a witch gives you protection already." Hanamaru said.

"You can't go by yourself!" Yō protested.

"What choice do I have? I'm not going to risk anyone getting hurt." Hanamaru stated.

"It's too dangerous. You can't go alone." Yō stated firmly.

"I'll go with her, if that makes you feel better." Sarah spoke up.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at her as if she was insane.

"What? I'm a witch too. That means I have the protection from black magic." Sarah reasoned.

"I guess that is true." Hanamaru said, "Will that make you guys feel better if she comes with me?"

Everyone eventually nodded. They were still unsure. They didn't know what they were dealing with. None of them wanted anyone to get hurt, but they weren't giving the girls what they wanted. It would show that they're weak.

"Tonight, we will set out." Hanamaru stated.

…

"What do you want with me?" Kanan growled.

She had woken to find herself in a rotten shack. She was tied to a chair. The three girls were standing over her. Kanan didn't show any fear. She kept a firm stance. She wasn't planning to cave and let these girls get the upper hand.

"We've demanded some things from the castle. If they give us those things, we'll return you to them safely. If not, however, we won't have any issues with torturing you." The leader said.

"I assume I won't be told your names?" Kanan asked.

"Right. We aren't giving you our names." The girl nodded.

"I'm sure my friends will find me. They won't give you what you want." Kanan stated.

"And just what can they do? We have black magic. They'll get affected if they try to fight against us." The girls laughed.

"Well then, isn't just wonderful that some of us have immunity?"

"Maru!" Kanan's face lit up.

Hanamaru appeared before them. Her arms were crossed. She sent the girls a glare. They stared at her with wide eyes.

"Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd release my friend before we have to get nasty." Hanamaru asked them, though it was more of a demand.

The girls looked at each other. One of them ran for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sarah came out of the shadows and blocked the door.

"P-princess Sarah?" The girl backed away.

"I remember you. You caused hell for the poor." Sarah growled.

"How so?" Kanan asked.

"Taking everything from them. She'd trick them into thinking she was helping them and then take everything they worked for." Sarah stated as she cornered the girl.

"Let her go or else I'll kill her." The leader of the group held a knife to Kanan's neck.

Kanan just smirked. She had been secretly untying herself this entire time. She grabbed the girl's arm and knocked her to the ground. Kanan stood up and yanked the knife from her grip.

"What do you think we should do with these girls?" Hanamaru asked.

"Imprison them. They've done a lot more crimes than just this one." Sarah stated.

"Alright. Kanan, would you like to capture them?" Hanamaru stepped back.

"Gladly." Kanan smirked.

She walked up to the girls and knocked them out with a firm punch to the jaw. Hanamaru used her magic to make some rope tie them up. Once they were satisfied, they all teleported back to the castle. They reappeared in the dungeon.

Hanamaru moved the girls and made sure they were tied up. Once she was done, she walked over to Kanan and tugged her down the hall. Sarah followed after them.

"Where are we going?" Kanan asked.

"To see if you have any wounds." Hanamaru stated.

"Alright."

"Do you need me for anything?" Sarah asked.

"If you'd like to learn, you can come and watch." Hanamaru replied.

The three of them went to Hanamaru's room. Chika was sitting in there. She perked up at the sight of Kanan. She ran over to Kanan and climbed up her. Kanan chuckled and pet Chika.

"I'm glad you're okay." Chika purred as she licked Kanan's cheek.

"Lay down on the bed. Also, can you undress?" Hanamaru closed the door and started ordering Kanan around.

Chika got off of Kanan. She left the room and stated she was going to tell everyone that Kanan was okay. Kanan stripped and then laid down on the bed like she had been asked to.

She was used to this whenever she got injured. It was just a slight bit more embarrassing now that Sarah was also in the room watching them.

Hanamaru started examining Kanan's body. She paused at her neck. There were burn marks covering it.

"What happened here? It looks like you got burned?" Hanamaru asked as she grabbed a salve to apply.

"The black magic they used…" Kanan mumbled, "Once it touched me it started burning me."

"Does it still hurt?" Hanamaru asked.

"A little… it's just a constant tingling." Kanan replied.

"This is going to hurt you. It has to remove the magic." Hanamaru stated as she showed Kanan the salve.

"How much will it hurt?" Kanan asked.

"Probably a little less than what it felt like when that happened." Hanamaru said, "Do you want me to silence you?"

"Probably for the best." Kanan said.

Hanamaru cast a spell to mute Kanan, "Okay. I'm going to apply it now."

Kanan bit her tongue as immense pain overcame her. She tried not to cry out even if she wouldn't make a sound. Kanan hated seeming weak. She wanted to seem tough even in a situation like this one. A few minutes after Hanamaru finished, the pain finally seized. Hanamaru removed the spell from Kanan.

"You feeling okay?" Hanamaru asked.

Kanan nodded. She was too out-of-breath to speak. Hanamaru finished up the rest of the exam. She found only minor scratches and such. She helped Kanan clothe herself again.

"Maru, is there a chance the magic could affect her?" Sarah asked.

Hanamaru sighed, "There's always a chance. But, seeing as how it didn't spread at all, I think she's safe."

"Alright." Sarah accepted the answer.

"What do you plan to do to those girls?" Hanamaru asked Kanan.

"Get some info from them and then probably a public execution to deter others." Kanan replied.

"What type of info are you interested in getting?" Sarah asked.

"Y'know, if there's any others plotting similar things. If they're part of a group. Any other motives they might've had." Kanan listed a few things off.

"Sounds like a good heap of info you want." Hanamaru commented.

"Yeah… I doubt we'll get all of it." Kanan sighed.

"Break someone enough and they'll talk." Sarah stated.

"I'd prefer not to." Kanan stated.

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"I just… I feel like it's not a good idea." Kanan didn't know how to explain it, "I can't help but feel like something bad will happen if we break them."

"I don't know what you're so worried about, but it's your call."

"I wish I knew what I was worried about as well…" Kanan sighed.

"Why don't you just rest for a bit? Gain back some strength and then you can decide what you're going to do." Hanamaru suggested.

"Alright…" Kanan agreed.

**DIVIDER-- **

After an hour, Kanan got up from the bed. She made her way out of the room. Yō was sitting outside the door. She jumped up at Kanan. Kanan chuckled and pet Yō.

"How are you feeling?" Yō asked.

"I'm fine." Kanan replied.

"Mari already started the interrogation." Yō said.

"Take me to her?" Kanan requested.

"Okay!" Yō agreed and started walking down the hall.

They went to the cell that Hanamaru had left the girls in. As they got closer, they could hear Mari. She was raising her voice. Kanan and Yō walked into view. Mari paused and looked at them.

"Look who's back." One of the girls taunted.

"Shut it." Mari growled and kicked her.

"So, how's it been going?" Kanan ignored the girl and spoke to Mari.

"They won't talk." Mari grumbled.

"I can help!" Yō stated.

Kanan and Mari looked at Yō. They knew she could be very intimidating. They weren't sure if they wanted to use her though.

"One." Kanan stated.

"Alright…" Yō sighed.

She was only allowed to hurt one of the girls. Kanan wasn't going to risk starting more drama. Having a wolf as a pet was already making people wary of them.

"So, are you going to talk? Or are we going to let her kill one of you?" Kanan threatened.

"Never."

"Yō. Go slow." Kanan ordered.

Yō let out a low growl and stalked toward one of the girls. She snarled and snapped. Yō was trying to intimidate her if she could. The girl looked a little scared, but wasn't talking.

"Tell us if there's more of you, or else Yō will kill you." Mari growled.

"We won't talk."

Yō snapped at the girl's leg. She screamed in pain as Yō's fangs sank into her flesh. Yō shook her leg around a bit and then released her. The girl was crying and shaking. Yō growled at her.

"Going to talk yet?" Kanan asked.

"Y-you'll have to do worse." The girl muttered as she tried to calm herself.

Yō growled and snapped at her again. Her fangs sank into her other leg. The girl screamed louder. The other two were watching with fear clearly present on their faces. Yō let go and stepped back again.

"Still not going to talk?"

"T-there's no more of us…" The girl mumbled.

"What did you want to achieve?" Mari asked.

"We won't ever tell you!" The girls all growled.

"They wanted us to split. I think they want to overthrow the kingdom." Kanan stated.

"Is that true girls?" Mari asked.

"You won't find out."

Yō leapt back at the girl. She grabbed her neck. The girl was crying and trying to push Yō off of her. Yō was staring at Kanan. She was waiting for the command to kill her.

"One last chance. Tell us what you wanted and we'll spare her." Kanan said.

"Nope."

"Go ahead, Yō." Kanan said.

Yō growled and bit down. The girl screamed. Her screams became garles as blood started coming out of her mouth. Yō stepped back. The girl was spluttering, unable to speak. It didn't take too long before she died.

"Still won't talk?" Yō asked as she showed the other two girls her bloody fangs.

The two girls were pale in shock. They gulped nervously.

"W-we do want t-to overthrow the rule… we want freedom from royalty…" The one girl admitted.

"There are many places you could've gone. Why stay here?" Kanan questioned.

They didn't answer. Yō walked back to where Kanan was standing. Kanan and Mari shared some glances.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll be publicly executing you." Kanan stated, "Enjoy the last bit of life you have."

Mari and Kanan left. Yō offered to stand guard for a bit. She was lying down in front of the cell. A knight would soon come to relieve her. She just didn't want to leave the girls alone. Who knew what they might get up to.


	28. Punishment For Traitors

Kanan and Mari went to go see what everyone else was doing. Mari stated she wanted Kanan to see everyone so they knew she was alright. Kanan agreed to it since she didn't know what else to do.

The first person they found was Hanamaru. Her and Chika were out tending to the herb garden. Chika was trying to take a piece a catmint. Hanamaru wasn't very happy with her.

"Chika, please stop. You don't need it." Hanamaru whacked Chika off of the plant again.

"But I like the smell!" Chika protested, "Can't I just have one leaf?"

"No. You can smell it from here." Hanamaru gave Chika a warning glare.

"Chika, stop stressing out Maru. Just listen to her." Kanan called to them.

Chika whined, but sat back. Hanamaru looked over at them.

"How'd it go?" Hanamaru asked them.

"One is dead. The others told us some things." Kanan replied.

"You killed one of them?" Chika asked as she walked over to Kanan.

"Yō did. It got them to talk." Kanan said.

"Where is Yō?" Hanamaru asked.

"Standing guard at the cell until the knight came." Mari explained.

"Alright. You feeling okay, Kanan?" Hanamaru looked Kanan over.

Kanan nodded, "Yep. I'm fine."

Hanamaru stood up and dusted off her outfit. She picked up the basket of herbs she had picked.

"Chika, come on. Let's go sort these." Hanamaru called.

Chika climbed up onto Hanamaru's shoulders and they left. Kanan and Mari went to go see who else they could find. Sarah was who they found next. She was sitting outside and reading a book. She seemed very interested in it.

"Hey, Sarah." Kanan greeted her.

"Hey." Sarah looked up from her book.

"What are you reading?" Mari asked.

"Oh, um… Maru gave me this." Sarah mumbled, "She said I should learn about magic."

"So, did you figure out how you have magic?" Kanan asked.

Sarah nodded, "She said that I was born with it. Removed magic is what she called it. Whoever in my family that had magic got it removed and tried to do the same to me, but it didn't succeed."

"You're going to try and use your magic to help Ri get her voice back?" Mari guessed.

Sarah shrugged, "We'll see. I don't know what I can do yet."

"But, you'll try?" Mari questioned.

Sarah nodded, "I'll try."

They bid Sarah goodbye and then went to go see if they could find where Dia was at. Yō found them and joined them again. They found Dia in the bookroom. She was showing Rika some picture books.

"Hey, Dia!" Mari smiled and waved at her.

Dia looked up and gave a small wave back. Mari and Kanan sat down near Dia. Yō went and sat right next to Rika, who started feeling her fur. Yō gave a toothy grin as she was pet.

"How are you doing?" Dia asked Kanan.

"I'm fine. They didn't do that much to me." Kanan replied.

"Where are they now?" Dia asked, giving Mari a suspicious glance.

"Two of them are still locked up. One of them is dead." Mari replied.

"I guess that's better than all of them." Dia sighed.

"Were you planning something?" Kanan asked Mari.

Mari gave her an innocent smile, "No."

"Mari…" Kanan groaned.

"What? I was just gonna cut off some fingers if they didn't talk." Mari defended.

"This is why I can't trust you with anything…" Kanan sighed, "You don't get the level of what is acceptable."

"You made Yō kill one of them." Mari argued.

"I offered to kill one." Yō defended.

"Please just shut up…" Dia groaned, "You're giving me a headache with your bickering."

They all quieted. Kanan mouthed that she and Mari would talk later. Mari stuck her tongue out in reply. Dia sighed at them. They acted like children. Yō was very gently playing with Rika and ignoring them.

"Have you ever seen a baby before, Yō?" Dia asked.

Yō paused and thought about it, "Not a human baby. Maybe when they were about five was the youngest I've seen."

"Where exactly did you live? Mountains? Forests?" Dia asked.

"Somewhat in a forest and somewhat in a moorland." Yō replied.

"How big was the pack?" Mari asked.

"Um… I think about 20 wolves were there when I left." Yō said, "A lot were kicked out for plotting against the pack leader."

"So, what are you going to do with the two girls?" Dia asked Kanan.

"Publicly execute them. It'll send a message to the people." Kanan replied.

"I suppose it would." Dia agreed, "When do you plan to do it?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Alright. I take it you have everything planned for it?" Dia asked.

"Not really…" Kanan admitted.

"I can set it up if you'd like." Dia offered.

"Okay. Thank you."

After that, they left. All that was left was to see where Leah and Ruby were at. The two of them were together. They were in Ruby's bedroom. They were sitting on Ruby's bed and talking.

"Hey," Mari entered the room first.

Ruby and Leah looked up at her. Kanan and Yō entered the room behind her.

"What do you want?" Ruby asked.

"Just came to see what you guys were doing." Mari replied.

"Oh… we're just talking." Ruby said.

"Is everything okay?" Leah asked.

"Yes, everything is fine." Mari confirmed.

"The teens want their privacy, it seems." Kanan teased.

Ruby and Leah both flushed red. Kanan and Mari chuckled at the reaction.

"Alright, alright, we'll leave you two alone." Mari chuckled.

The three of them left the girls be. Ruby and Leah were still bright red. They looked at each other.

**DIVIDER-- **

It was almost time for dinner. Kanan was helping Hanamaru with making some potions. Yō and Chika were sleeping on the ground beside them.

"Maru, do you think what I'm doing is the right thing?" Kanan asked.

"I don't know. I can't tell you how the citizens are going to react to it." Hanamaru replied.

"I'm worried I'm making a mistake." Kanan sighed, "Maybe I'm not fit to be royal."

"It takes time. It's something you learn. I'm sure you'll get better at it." Hanamaru tried to cheer Kanan up.

Kanan kept quiet. She said nothing more about it.

"Hey, the food is done!" Mari called into the room.

Hanamaru carefully closed all of the bottles. She set them in their places. Kanan waited for her. Once she was done, the two of them went to go eat. They let Chika and Yō rest.

Kanan took her seat beside Mari. Hanamaru sat beside Ruby. They said their thanks for the meal and then ate. It was very quiet dinner. No one really spoke. There were a few whispers, but that was it.

Once everyone had finished, everyone went their own ways. Mari asked Kanan to take a walk with her, but Kanan shook her head. She stated that she was tired and wanted to rest. Mari frowned as Kanan walked away.

"Is everything alright with Kanan?" Mari asked Hanamaru.

"She's just second guessing herself." Hanamaru replied.

Mari walked after Kanan. She was going to confront her. Kanan vanished into her bedroom. Mari waited a minute and then walked inside as well. Kanan was lying down on her bed.

"Are you alright?" Mari asked as she took a seat beside Kanan.

"I'm fine." Kanan replied.

"Maru said you're doubting yourself." Mari stated.

"Maybe I am. I don't think I'm fit to rule." Kanan sighed as she buried her head in a pillow.

"You are fit to rule." Mari stated, "You're doing a really good job."

"I struggle a lot…" Kanan mumbled.

"So do I. It's normal." Mari said.

"Is this really wise? Should we be killing those girls?" Kanan asked.

"I think we should." Mari replied, "You're right about it teaching a lesson to everyone. We have to appear strong."

"What if this upsets people?" Kanan worried.

"Then we'll deal with that. Don't worry yourself over something that hasn't happened yet." Mari reassured her.

"People don't like me, Mari." Kanan stated.

"I know. But, why should you let them tell you what to do?"

"To them I'm still just a thief." Kanan sighed, "And maybe they're right… maybe that's all I'll ever be known as."

Mari slapped Kanan, "Stop it. Stop talking about yourself like that."

"Sorry…"

"Why don't you get some rest? You're stressing yourself out." Mari suggested.

"Okay. I'll try and rest." Kanan agreed.

**DIVIDER-- **

The next morning was chaotic. There was a lot of planning to do. Kanan and Mari were in charge of the execution. They weren't too happy about that. Neither really knew what to say.

The girls were brought out by some knights. They were shown to the citizens. They were mocked. Kanan was supposed to be the one speaking about their wrongs. She didn't want to.

"Mari, can't you?" Kanan pleaded.

"What are you so worried about?" Mari asked.

"I just am." Kanan sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it." Mari said.

She walked up to the platform. She eyed the girls for a moment, before turning to the citizens. Kanan stood close by.

"Citizens of the Diamond kingdom, today we have two traitors. They have been accused of plotting to overthrow the throne and harming a member of the royal family." Mari stated confidently.

The girls said nothing. They just stared at the crowd with blank faces. Kanan was worried. She felt there was something wrong. Mari stepped back. She motioned to the executioner. He nodded and held a sword over the first girl's head. He brought it down in a clean slice. He moved over to the second girl. He repeated the cut.

Suddenly, an arrow shot out of the crowd. It embedded itself on the platform's supports. The crowd started to panic. Kanan pulled Mari close. Another arrow was shot. This one was aimed at them. It narrowly missed hitting Mari's head.

Kanan pulled Mari off the platform and into cover. Mari was shaking. She was terrified. She had almost been killed.

"The Queens of this kingdom are unfit to rule!"

"Support the revolution against th-"

One of the knights nearby shot them with their own arrows. Kanan tugged Mari toward the back road to the castle. They ran down it and made it back to safety.

"So, there was another one." Mari said.

"Looks like there might be multiple." Kanan replied.

They entered the castle. They walked to the living room. That was where everyone was waiting for them.

"How did it go?" Yō asked.

"They're dead. There's more of them, though. Someone was shooting arrows." Kanan replied.

"Are you guys alright?" Hanamaru asked.

Mari nodded, "I almost got hit, but I didn't…"

"Who is doing this and why?"

"That's something that will take a while to figure out."

"Are you guys leaving soon?" Kanan asked Sarah and Leah.

"I suppose we should since there is danger, but I think we'll stay and help." Sarah replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You guys could use some help still." Sarah nodded.

"Thank you."


	29. Rebellion

A month had gone by. There had been an increase in riots. It was obvious there was a group behind them. They just couldn't figure out what the group was. The riots had been slowly growing in size. This was becoming alarming. They were gaining a lot of followers. No one knew how they were, so they were meeting to discuss the options.

"I think they've promised them something in return for their loyalty." Dia stated.

"It would make sense. Most of the rioters don't seem to be into it. They tend to stand back and just shout." Mari agreed.

"What do you think they might've promised them?" Kanan asked.

"Probably money." Sarah replied, "That's the easiest way to get people to join you for anything."

"What do we do about these riots? I'm worried they'll soon get confident enough to try and attack." Mari asked.

"We need to somehow find the source. If we can eliminate that and the other branch leaders, we can stop this once and for all." Dia said.

"And how do we go about doing that?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not sure… we don't have any tips as to where they may be gathering at." Dia sighed.

"I have an idea." Hanamaru stated.

"What is it?" Everyone looked at her.

"The meetings are held at night. There are recruiters. If we could have a spy go in, we could find out more." Hanamaru explained her plan.

"Who would we send?" Kanan questioned.

"I'll do it myself. I can create a disguise using my magic and sneak in."

"But, what if-"

"I can hide my magic from being felt." Hanamaru cut them off, already knowing what the question was.

"This is dangerous, Maru." Yō whined.

"What have we done recently that hasn't been dangerous?" Hanamaru asked.

"Fair enough…" Yō sighed.

"When is the next meeting?" Dia asked.

"Every new moon." Hanamaru replied.

"That means…"

"Exactly. Tonight."

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru knew what she was doing was extremely risky. She knew what would happen if she got caught. But, she wasn't going to risk sending some random servant out. She was worried some might be traitors.

"Maru, are you sure this is the best way? Couldn't I just slip in?" Chika asked.

"I'm not letting you." Hanamaru stated.

"But, Maru-"

"No buts."

Chika sighed. She wanted to help. She didn't want Hanamaru to do this. Chika wondered if she should go off by herself.

"Can I come with you?" Chika asked, "Just as backup."

"I'll be fine by myself." Hanamaru reassured her.

"Fine…" Chika sighed and gave up.

Hanamaru continued working on her magic. She was trying to create a spell to help her sneak away. She knew she needed a backup plan incase they spotted her.

**DIVIDER-- **

When night fell, Hanamaru left the castle. She created an illusion of a different person on her. She wandered through the town. She didn't know that she was being followed. Chika was not taking no for an answer and had followed her.

"Hello, are you interested in overthrowing the Queens?" A random person approached Hanamaru.

Hanamaru nodded. The person handed her a map. Hanamaru thanked him and followed it. Chika snuck after her. She was careful to not make any noise. She didn't want to get caught.

Hanamaru walked up to a building. She knocked on the door four times. Someone opened the door.

"You here for the meeting?" The person who answered asked.

Hanamaru nodded and showed him the map. He welcomed her as a new member and let her inside. Chika quickly entered the building as well. She kept close to Hanamaru.

"Welcome! I see we have even more members tonight!" A girl stood up on a stage and spoke, "I'm glad I'm not the only one who believes the Queens need to go."

A cheer went up. Hanamaru tried to act like them.

"We almost have enough to raid the castle." The girl continued once the cheering died down, "We will kill all of the royalty."

The cheering got louder. People were shouting some chants. Hanamaru didn't like this place at all. Chika didn't either.

"Now, shall we continue to the initiation room?"

Hanamaru didn't want to go to that room. She hung back as everyone started going into a new room. She was planning to leave now that she had found out the info she needed. Hanamaru slowly made her way toward the entrance.

"Where are you going? The meeting isn't over?" Someone confronted her.

"O-oh… um, I have to go. My parents are going to realize I'm gone." Hanamaru tried her best to lie.

"You don't believe in our cause, do you?" They accused.

Hanamaru knew she had been caught. She turned and ran for the door. The person caught her and yanked her back.

"You're a spy for them, aren't you?" They growled as they held a knife to Hanamaru's neck.

They suddenly let out a yelp and dropped the knife. Hanamaru turned to look. Chika had bitten them on their ankle. They were trying to kick her off. Hanamaru punched them in the face. They fell backwards. Chika let go of them and ran to Hanamaru's side.

Hanamaru picked up Chika and then ran out of the building. She hid in an alley and tried to catch her breath. Chika nuzzled into Hanamaru's face and licked her.

"You followed me anyway." Hanamaru panted.

"I was worried. You should be glad I did." Chika stated, "You saw the magic sensors. You couldn't do anything."

"I can fight without magic." Hanamaru huffed.

"You should've listened to Kanan and taken a weapon with you." Chika commented.

"Maybe I should've…" Hanamaru agreed, "Let's head back to the castle."

"Okay." Chika agreed.

They made their way back to the castle. Once Hanamaru felt it was safe enough, she let go of her disguise. Her and Chika snuck back into the castle and went to go and report what they had heard. Everyone was waiting for them in the meeting room.

"So, that's where Chika ended up." Kanan sent Chika a warning glare.

Chika replied by sticking her tongue out at Kanan. She jumped onto the table and made her way across it. She jumped down to where Yō was laying and snuggled up beside her. Hanamaru sat down.

"So, what did you learn?" Mari asked.

"They have a lot of members. They are run by a girl. She said soon they'd have enough to raid the castle." Hanamaru reported, "I didn't stick around to see what the initiation ceremony was about."

"They're planning to raid the castle?"

"Yeah. They want us all dead." Hanamaru nodded.

"What do we do?" Ruby asked.

"We strike first." Dia replied, "If we attack them, we'll have the upper hand."

"But what if someone here is a traitor? If they find out about the plan, they could tell." Kanan worried.

"We'll make a fake plan. And we'll see if they go to it." Dia stated.

"Alright. I guess that could work."

**DIVIDER-- **

They had spent most of the night planning their fake plan. They told some of the knights about it and told them to be prepared. This was a risky thing. They knew if they were smart, they'd realize what they were doing.

"Three days until it's time. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I'm sure. It'll help us figure out if anyone may be a traitor."

"I hope you're right…"

Everyone was a little on edge about the whole thing. It was obvious they knew the consequences of failing to trick the enemy. They were very careful not to announce that the plan was false to anyone on the staff. They couldn't risk the plan being foiled.

The plan was a pretty simple one. They would send someone to see if they came. If they came, they knew someone told on them. If they didn't, that meant they were in the clear to continue. The only worry left was if the one they sent happened to be a traitor.

So, when the night came, everyone was even more on edge. They waited anxiously for the announcement. It took a while, but the scout came back. He informed them that there were people waiting. That information wasn't what they had wanted. That meant that someone in the castle was a traitor.

The only thing was that they didn't know who the traitor was. They also didn't know if there could be more than just one traitor among them. Somehow, they were going to have to find out who the traitor or traitors were and get rid of them. They would now know that they knew about someone being a traitor.

"Where should we start?" Mari asked.

"Let's start with the first group we told." Kanan suggested, "We can try and split it like that. Maybe they'll crack and talk if the other knights start very harshly questioning them."

"That's a good idea. Let's do that in the morning."

They bid everyone goodnight. Everyone went to their respective rooms for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a very stressful one.


	30. Traitors

When morning came, everyone met to discuss who would be doing the interrogation. It was decided that it would be Kanan and Sarah who would be doing it. There was a bit of a fight over Sarah participating since she isn't being affected by this. The fight failed to change anything.

After they ate breakfast, Kanan and Sarah went to gather the first knight group. They summoned them into a small room. Yō was also there with them just in case she needed to attack. Kanan and Sarah both had weapons hidden on them.

"So, I suppose you're wondering why we called you here." Kanan said.

The knights nodded. They looked at each other with confused expressions. They didn't know what was going on.

"It has been determined there is most likely a traitor among us. They told the rebels about out plan." Kanan stated, "We will not rest until we have eliminated the threats."

The knights started talking amongst themselves. They discussed where everyone had been the night they had been given the information. Accusations started to fly around. Sarah, Kanan, and Yō watched them. They were waiting to see if anyone would snap and give something away.

Eventually, the knights settled down. They informed them that everyone was accounted for in their group. Kanan thanked them for their cooperation and sent them to fetch the next group. She hoped this plan was working the way it was supposed to. If all the knights in one group were traitors, they wouldn't give anything away.

"You think they're telling the truth?" Yō asked.

"We have to believe them. There's nothing we can do but let them figure it out for themselves." Kanan replied.

"Indeed. There's nothing we can accuse them of. It's up to the loyal knights to weed them out." Sarah agreed.

"Alright… I hope this plan is going to work…" Yō mumbled.

"We hope so too."

The next group of knights came into the room. Kanan gave them the same speech as the first group. They reacted the same way and talked about where everyone had been in the recent days. It was confirmed that one knight in the group hadn't been accounted for. They held him so he couldn't run.

"Where were you?" Kanan asked.

"I was patrolling by myself." The knight replied.

"You know that's a lie. We don't allow lone patrols. There must be at least three in a group." Kanan quickly pointed out his lie.

The knight fought against the other knights holding him, "Why should I serve a kingdom like this? You don't deserve to rule."

"You don't have to serve. We don't force anyone to serve." Kanan pointed out, "But, it's not like that will matter much longer. Take him out back and dispose of him. We have no room for unloyal followers."

The knights took his out of the room. He was cursing at them the entire way. Kanan took a deep breath. This was a very tough situation. She was struggling to keep a straight face.

"We found one." Yō stated happily.

"But there might be others." Sarah pointed out.

"I'll fetch the next group then." Yō said and left the room.

"So… there really are traitors among us…" Kanan sighed.

"It's normal. There are always one or two who tend to stray." Sarah replied.

"I feel like this is going to be a lot more than one or two, Sarah." Kanan stated.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Because there are so many people questioning our rule. It only makes sense that there will be a lot of people against us." Kanan replied.

"You may think it's a lot, but you have to remember this is two kingdoms worth of citizens." Sarah pointed out, "You will have more because there are a lot more people around."

"I wonder how the other kingdoms feel about us…" Kanan mumbled.

"Well, no one's said anything, so I'm going to assume they don't hate you." Sarah said.

"I guess that's true. I just wonder if we should look to older kingdoms for help." Kanan sighed.

"You think they'd help you?"

"Well, there's been a lot of talk about other kingdoms that had young rulers like us. Maybe they'd know what to do?" Kanan said.

"You think arranging a visit in this mess is a good idea?" Sarah asked.

Kanan sighed, "That's the issue…"

"I think it might be a good idea, but we can both agree it's impossible at the moment."

"Do you think sending Ruby by herself would work? Obviously we'd send her with guards, but do you think she could manage? That's the only way I can think we could meet with these other kingdoms at the moment." Kanan asked.

"She's young. I don't think she could manage. She doesn't seem to know how to talk confidently." Sarah replied.

"True…" Kanan sighed, "We need help with this rebellion and yet there's no way to get help…"

"I don't know about this, but maybe her and Leah could go together. I'm sure you've noticed them getting closer. I think those two could manage together." Sarah said.

The conversation was stopped for a while. Yō brought the next group of knights into the room. Kanan took a deep breath and then started up her speech again. These knights were a lot more uniform about how they discusses everything. There were no accusations being thrown around at random. They stuck to what they knew.

Two knights were found to have no alibi. They both told lies that were easily caught. When Dia and Mari had been making the rules, they had been very careful to make sure there were no loopholes in any of them. No one could lie about anything and get away with it.

Like before, after they confirmed the knights truly were unaccounted for, Kanan ordered them to be killed. She never gave them a specific way to kill them, she was just very adamant that there be no chance of them surviving it. That was the last group of knights they were needing to check.

"There will be more. I know it." Kanan stated.

"I'm sure there will be. Until this is put down, there will always be more." Sarah said in reply.

"So, back to before. You think Leah and Ruby would be a good pair to send to ask for support from other kingdoms." Kanan asked.

Sarah nodded, "I think so. They both may be young, but I see there is a lot more to them. There's potential in them that they haven't unlocked yet."

"About their closeness. Do you think there's something going on between them?" Kanan questioned.

Sarah shrugged, "If there is, I have no idea. Leah hasn't said anything to me."

"Perhaps they've found love?" Yō suggested.

"What?" Sarah and Kanan both looked at her in shock.

"What? You cannot tell me you don't see the signs. They are so lovey-dovey with each other." Yō defended.

"You're serious? You think they're in love?"

Yō nodded, "Yes. I believe they are."

"I guess I'll be asking Leah about this." Sarah said.

"What are you going to ask her?" Kanan questioned.

"Just if she does like Ruby. I don't care if she does. I just want her to be open with me about these things." Sarah replied.

"Alright. Thanks for helping with this." Kanan said.

"I didn't really do much. You did it yourself." Sarah stated.

"I guess… having you here made it easier, though." Kanan said.

The three of them left the room. They went in two directions. Sarah went to go find Leah. Kanan and Yō went to go find Mari.

Sarah found Leah in her room. She was reading a book. Sarah knocked on the door. Leah looked up.

"What is it, nee-sama?" Leah asked as she set the book aside.

"I just wanted to ask you something." Sarah replied.

"What?" Leah asked. She was growing nervous. She had no idea what Sarah might be asking her about.

Sarah sat beside Leah on her bed, "You've been getting closer with Ruby. Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"N-no." Leah stammered.

"Leah, I'm not going to be mad at you. I just want to know." Sarah said.

"Um… we… we're dating." Leah mumbled.

"Dating? You didn't even ask for permission." Sarah said.

"S-sorry, nee-sama." Leah mumbled.

Sarah sighed, "It's alright. I understand why you wouldn't tell me."

"So, I can date her?" Leah asked hopefully.

"If Dia gives her permission to." Sarah replied.

"Fine…" Leah sighed.

"I'll see you later." Sarah got up and left.

**DIVIDER-- **

Kanan and Yō found Mari hanging out with Dia. They were outside in the garden. Rika was playing in the rocks.

"Hey." Kanan greeted them as she sat down.

"So, what's the verdict?" Dia asked.

"There were three traitors we found." Kanan said.

"At least it wasn't too many." Mari said.

"There probably are more." Kanan replied.

"Is there anything we could do to weed them out?" Yō asked.

"As of right now, no."

"I wish we had help. This is hard to deal with." Mari sighed.

"Sarah and I were discussing things we could do. We thought that maybe sending someone to another kingdom to ask for assistance would work." Kanan said.

"But who would we send?" Mari asked.

"Ruby and Leah could do it together." Kanan replied.

"Well, it's an idea." Dia said, "It's up to them if they think they could manage it."

"Yeah. I guess that's something to ask them." Kanan nodded.

"I'll do it." Dia said, "You can focus on weeding out any other traitors."

"Okay."

**DIVIDER-- **

That evening, Dia went to go find Ruby. She found her in her bedroom. Leah was also in there with her. Dia knocked and announced herself. Ruby and Leah looked at her.

"Hello, girls." Dia greeted them.

"Onee-chan, I have a question." Ruby said.

"Alright? What is it?" Dia asked. She had assumed she would just come in and ask and then leave again.

"Um… can Leah and I date?" Ruby asked.

"You guys want to date?" Dia repeated.

Ruby and Leah nodded. Dia thought about it as she looked the girls over.

"I don't see why you can't." Dia said, "Is that all?"

"Yeah. Thank you, onee-chan." Ruby nodded.

"If that's all, may I ask a question now?" Dia asked.

They nodded and looked at each other. They weren't sure what to expect from the question.

"We need someone to go ask other kingdoms for assistance. As you know, we can't just leave when all of this is going on. Sarah suggested that the two of you go and do it instead." Dia said, "Will you do it?"

Leah and Ruby looked at each other. They started whispering. Dia waited as they discussed what they wanted to do. After a few minutes, they looked back at Dia.

"I guess we can do it." They both said.

"Alright. We'll plan that then." Dia replied, "Be prepared for a week from now."

"What kingdoms are we going to?" Ruby asked.

Dia shrugged, "That is to be determined still."

"Alright."

They held meetings for a few days. It was determined that they would go to about four to five kingdoms and request assistance or advice. They were going to go to the Tempest Kingdom, the Morning Kingdom, the Glass Kingdom, the Dove Kingdom, and, if possible, the Star Kingdom. They would be gone for quite some time.

To get messages back and forth easily, they were to take Chika with them. They wanted to have Yō go with the two young princesses, but they didn't want to risk anything. Having a wolf might cause them to be seen as a threat.

In two days, they would be setting out with a small group of knights. Leah and Ruby were being taught how to speak to the other royalty members. They didn't want to seem rude. They needed to make a good appearance if they wanted to get any help. They didn't know how much their royalties followed the formalities.

This kingdom had a few lenient rules compared to others. They didn't require everyone to use the proper titles. Those in the palace were exempt from it. They were told to use the titles when it was important or someone was there that required the use of titles.


	31. Differing Views

"Hey, Leah? Do you think we'll really be able to do it?" Ruby asked Leah as they laid awake the night before they had to set out.

"I don't know. I hope we can. They're relying on us to help fix this rebellion." Leah responded.

"I'm worried they won't like us. After all, we're basically kids." Ruby sighed, "What if they don't take us seriously?"

"They will. We'll show them how respectable we can be." Leah stated.

"What about the fact we're from different kingdoms? What if that makes them suspicious of us?" Ruby asked.

"Word should have gotten out about the rebels. They should know that the Snow Kingdom is aiding you guys." Leah said, "Even if it's just me and nee-sama here."

"Goodnight." Ruby whispered, "We'll need our rest for tomorrow."

"Night." Leah replied.

**DIVIDER-- **

When morning came, they were woken up by a knight. They dressed into traveling attire and then set off to go find the carriage. There were about five knights that they would be taking with them. They couldn't afford to send many with the rebels and they also didn't want to seem intimidating.

Kanan and Sarah were there to see them off. Chika was waiting there for them. They gave the girls instructions on what to do and wished them luck. Leah, Ruby, and Chika climbed into one of the carriages they would be taking.

"You ready?" Leah asked.

Ruby shook her head, "I'm nervous."

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay. We can do it." Leah reassured her.

"I hope you're right." Ruby replied.

"We'll be fine!" Chika stated, "We can do this."

The carriage started moving. They would be traveling for a while until they reached the first kingdom. The Tempest kingdom was the first one they were going to.

It was going to take them across very treacherous roads. Most people never traveled to the Tempest kingdom from the Diamond kingdom for that reason. They had no choice, though. That was the road they would have to take.

Ruby and Leah passed the time by talking. They planned out what they would say depending on the responses they got. They were going to be put on the spot. Both of them were quite shy. This was going to be hard for them.

**DIVIDER-- **

After a week of travel, they had reached the road. It was extremely narrow and dangerous. If you looked far enough down the cliff side, you could sometimes see bones or even bodies from those who didn't manage to get through. The road was extremely uneven. Everyone was walking. Ruby was carrying Chika.

The horses were protesting. They didn't like the road either. It was bad on their hooves. The knights had their work cut out for them. Leah and Ruby stuck close together. They tried to walk in the center of the road.

There were a few places where the stench of rotting flesh was strong. It was hard to not vomit from it. It was even harder when you saw the bodies that were causing the smell. It was a very long and horrid road to travel on.

Thankfully, they made it across without any casualties. It was a lot smoother after that. In another week, they would reach the kingdom. They sent one of the knights ahead to alert them about their presence.

They hoped that their sudden arrival wouldn't cause any issues. They wanted this to be a very easy task.

**DIVIDER-- **

They had finally arrived at the kingdom. Knights were waiting at the gate to the city. They searched the carriages and the knights. Once they were satisfied, they guided them inside and to the castle. They kept everyone under very heavy surveillance.

"Is this really how they're going to treat us?" Leah whispered to Ruby, "We haven't done anything to make them wary."

"Maybe there's something we don't know about?" Ruby suggested, "There could be something that went on that caused them to always be wary."

"I guess that's true. I hope they'll lighten up." Leah sighed, "I feel like I'm an animal."

"Yeah. It does feel like that." Ruby agreed.

"You seem to be forgetting you have an actual animal with you." Chika grumbled.

The girls apologized to her.

They soon made it to the castle. They were escorted into the throne room. Their knights were told to wait outside the room. Ruby and Leah were concerned. They had no protection now.

"What brings two young princesses from two kingdoms here?" Someone asked.

One of the queens stepped into the room. Ruby and Leah politely introduced themselves to her.

"Um… we are here to ask for assistance." Ruby spoke up, "The Diamond kingdom is dealing with a sudden increase in rebels."

"And why is she here?" The Queen nodded to where Leah stood.

"She and her sister are helping us out. Unfortunately, that is all the help we can get from the Snow kingdom." Ruby explained.

"And why should we help you?"

"Umi, stop being so harsh on them. They're only children." The other Queen came out into the room.

"They are royal children, Kotori. They should be able to deal with this." Umi replied.

"Come on. You're scaring the children." Kotori pouted.

"I'm not here to play games. This is business." Umi stated.

"Why don't you go? I'll handle this." Kotori pushed Umi toward the door she had come in.

"Fine." Umi gave in and left the room.

Kotori turned to Leah and Ruby, "I apologize. My wife is a little too strict sometimes."

"It's okay." Ruby and Leah mumbled.

"Now, where were we? Why do you want our help?" Kotori asked.

"We don't have the means to put down the rebellion on our own. We need support." Ruby said, "Even if that support is just some tips on what to do."

"Well, I'll discuss this with Umi and we'll see what we can offer. You two," Kotori pointed to two of the knights that had escorted them to the castle, "Show them to the guest rooms."

The knights split in two. One took Ruby, Leah, and Chika to one room while the other took the knights to a different room. Just as Ruby and Leah got settled, Kotori came in to see them.

"I hope this room is enough. We don't normally get any visitors that have to stay." Kotori said.

"It's fine." Leah replied.

"Yeah! It's really big!" Chika said, before she realized her mistake. She wasn't supposed to talk.

Most other kingdoms had a very strict policy on magic. No one in the premise was allowed to have any magic. Even visitors had to abide to that.

"You can talk?" Kotori asked, not seeming very concerned.

Chika hesitantly nodded, "Yeah… um, I was saved by a witch and her magic ended up sticking in me so I can talk."

"Just be careful. I'm not one who really minds since you're just a cat. I don't think you can use magic, can you?" Kotori asked.

Chicks shook her head, "No. I can use telepathy, but that's about it."

"Then, I don't see why there's any reason to worry." Kotori said, "Though, I don't think Umi would agree with me."

"Um, I have a question." Ruby said.

"What is it?"

"How old were you when you took over the throne?" Ruby asked.

"I believe I was about 21 when that happened." Kotori replied, "Is there a reason you asked?"

"Well… you know the ages of the Queens in the Diamond and Shining kingdoms, right?" Ruby asked.

Kotori shook her head, "I'm not aware of their current ages."

"Well, the oldest is 18." Ruby said.

"Really? How come they took the throne? What happened to their parents?"

"You don't know?" Ruby and Leah asked at the same time.

Kotori nodded, "I have no idea. We just knew that their children took over. We were never informed why."

"Well… we kind of sent some people to kill the King and Queen of the Shining kingdom and then Mari took over. The Snow kingdom sent knights to kill the Diamond kingdom's King and Queen because they were corrupt and then onee- um, my sister took over." Ruby explained.

"And what were the reasons behind that?"

They all looked behind them. Umi was back. They didn't know how much she had heard.

"For the Shining kingdom, it was because they wanted Mari dead and they were just really bad people. The Diamond kingdom was because they broke their promises that they made." Ruby said as confidently as she could. Umi was quite intimidating at the moment.

"And, who are the other half? Who took the role as king?" Umi questioned.

"Um…" Ruby wasn't sure how well the answer would go over with them.

"For the Shining kingdom, the king is the former notorious thief from the Sea kingdom." Leah said, knowing they had to give an answer, "There is no king for the Diamond kingdom currently."

"Just what the hell are you guys thinking!?" Umi didn't like that answer at all, "You're letting a non-royal rule? And a thief of all things!?"

"Umi, dear, calm down." Kotori whispered.

"This is unacceptable." Umi stated.

"You're judging someone on their past. Maybe they've changed." Kotori said calmly.

"I doubt that a thief would change." Umi stated.

"Kanan has! She's actually a really good king!" Ruby protested.

"Please tell me none of them have had any kids." Umi said.

Ruby and Leah looked at each other. That was not going to be an answer they wanted to give. Umi seemed to know what that meant as well.

"Who?" Umi sighed.

"Dia." Leah answered, knowing Ruby wouldn't want to.

"And with who?" Umi questioned.

"Um… a servant?" Leah said.

"Was this planned?" Kotori asked.

"Kind of. The circumstances changed, but they had planned to have a child. It was so that dad would maybe let them marry." Ruby explained.

"And where is this servant now? Why isn't he the king?" Umi asked, growing frustrated with how this conversation was going.

"She's dead." Ruby said.

"She?" Umi and Kotori both looked at each other.

"Yeah…"

"And just how did they have a child together?" Umi demanded.

Leah and Ruby remained silent. They didn't like how brutal Umi was being to them. Neither wanted to give the answer. With how this kingdom viewed magic, they couldn't imagine it would go well.

"They used a potion." Chika piped up.

"You can talk?" Umi have Chika a suspicious glare.

"Yes, I can." Chika huffed.

"So, you're telling me they used a potion to have a baby? How did that turn out for them? Magic isn't good to use, and you should know that." Umi stated.

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for magic!" Chika defended, "And so would Kanan! And possibly Dia too."

"Just answer my question. We can discuss our differing views on magic later." Umi sighed.

"Um… she is missing a leg and has half-formed vocal cords, we believe." Leah answered.

"And how did the citizens take the news?" Kotori asked. She was still speaking very calmly, unlike Umi, who was almost yelling at them.

"A few raided the castle. No one was killed but them." Ruby said.

"Fine… we'll leave this as it is for now." Umi said, "Someone will fetch you for dinner."

Umi and Kotori left the room. Leah let out a sigh as she collapsed backwards onto the bed. Ruby sat beside her. Chika curled up between them.

"She's really brutal…" Leah sighed.

"Yeah…" Ruby agreed.

"I hope they don't turn against us because of this. If a kingdom goes to war with us, I'm sure we'd lose. We don't have a strong enough army yet…" Chika mumbled.

"Let's hope this goes over well." Ruby said.

"I guess we'll probably get our answer by tonight." Leah said.

"Let's hope it's a good one." Chika said.

**DIVIDER-- **

A few hours later, a servant was sent to fetch them for dinner. Chika was told she wasn't allowed to join them. Chika growled as she stalked back to the bed. She hated how they were treating her.

After she had been able to talk, she was treated as more of a person and less as an animal. Here, it was completely different. They were treating her like a regular animal. Chika was mad. They had said the reason was that they didn't want her to disrupt the meal.

Chika wanted to argue, but knew it wouldn't get her anywhere. It would just make her even more hated. She would never disrupt something like that. Chika was very respectful. But, that meant nothing now.

Leah and Ruby were led to the dining room. They were sat beside the Queens. Leah was next to Umi and Ruby was next to Kotori. They ate in silence for a while.

"We've discussed your request." Umi stated, "Our kingdom will not be helping you."

"Why?" Ruby and Leah were both upset.

"Because of the way you are ruling the kingdom. You guys don't deserve the kingdom." Umi said.

"Using magic isn't something we approve of." Kotori said, "Helping a kingdom that uses magic wouldn't look good for us."

"Fine. Have it your way." Leah grumbled.

They ate in silence again. Once they had finished, Leah tugged Ruby back to their room. They informed Chika about the outcome. Chika was just as mad.

"Let's hope they don't find out about nee-sama." Leah whispered.

"Yeah. That would make them hate you guys as well." Ruby agreed.

"So, are we leaving in the morning?" Chika asked.

"Yeah. We're going to leave and go to the next kingdom." Ruby nodded, "Maybe they can help us more?"

"What kingdom is next?" Chika asked.

"The Morning kingdom is next." Leah said.

"Let's hope they'll help us."

"They are allied with this kingdom. I'm worried their beliefs may be the same." Leah sighed.

"That's not going to work in our favor…" Ruby gulped.

"Let's hope they're a little more understanding." Chika said.

"Let's hope." Ruby and Leah agreed.


	32. Song of Hope

When morning came, their group set out to the next area. They were now going to travel to the Morning kingdom. They hoped they would get better results from them. The Tempest kingdom meeting did not go well at all. They couldn't help but worry that they'd made enemies within the kingdom.

Chika was still pissed at them for her treatment. Nothing Ruby or Leah said could make her feel any different. Chika was kind of glad that they weren't getting help from the Tempest kingdom. She knew she should be upset, but she was happy she wouldn't have to deal with their treatment of her anymore.

"There's a chance they'll still join." Leah pointed out, "If we get the Morning kingdom to aid us, they may request help from the Tempest kingdom."

"Ugh! I want them to just never come near us again! They were so rude!" Chika growled.

"Chika, you do realize you are an animal. They don't know how you act. They'll just assume you act like any normal cat." Ruby said.

"But they know I can talk!" Chika protested.

"That doesn't mean your actions will change." Ruby said.

Chika sighed. She gave up arguing against them. She wasn't making any progress at all.

**DIVIDER-- **

"They've managed to reach the Tempest kingdom. Unfortunately, they aren't helping us. They don't like that we use magic." Hanamaru reported.

"Let's hope the Morning kingdom is more helpful." Kanan sighed.

"Yeah." Dia nodded, "We need help."

While Ruby, Leah, and Chika were gone, the rebels were getting worse. They were destroying the town. Anything related to the Queens was destroyed. It was chaos. They had found three more traitors on their staff.

"Guys. They've sent a letter." Sarah entered the room, "They've made demands now."

"Let's read it." Kanan took the letter.

**DIVIDER-- **

It took two weeks to reach the Morning kingdom. Like before, they had sent a messenger to go ahead and announce they were arriving. They were greeted by a few knights again. This time, the knights with the travel party were not even allowed in the castle at all.

Ruby, Leah, and Chika were brought to the throne room. They waited nervously for one of the Queens to show up. Chika was sitting on Ruby's shoulder and eyeing the knights. She didn't like them already. They had tried to chase her off. They didn't want her in the castle.

A few minutes later, one of the Queens entered the room. They greeted each other. The Queen stood before them.

"So, may I ask what you want from us?" She asked.

"The Diamond kingdom is having issues with rebels. We are still a young kingdom and don't have the means to put down the rebellion ourselves. We are asking if you can give us some assistance." Ruby said.

"I don't know. What assistance do you want?"

"Either some reinforcements or some advice." Ruby said.

The Queen turned to one of the knights, "Fetch Tsubasa."

The knight left to do that. Ruby and Leah looked at each other. They were nervous. They didn't know exactly why the other Queen was being fetched.

A moment later, she appeared. She eyed up the girls as she made her way to the center of the room.

"What do you need, Honoka?" Tsubasa asked the other Queen.

"These girls are requesting help from us." Honoka said, "What do you think? Should we offer any?"

"It depends. What exactly is the problem?" Tsubasa turned to Ruby.

"There's a group of rebels. There are too many for the kingdom to handle. We need help. Otherwise we will be destroyed." Ruby didn't like that she was pleading, but they needed to get some sympathy from them.

"And why are they rebelling?" Tsubasa questioned.

"They don't like that the kingdoms have combined." Ruby said, "They want us to split up."

"And why don't you split up?" Honoka asked the question this time.

"Because they will revolt. They want to destroy our kingdom. They want us to split because it will be easier that way." Ruby said, trying to keep her composure.

"Let us think it over." Tsubasa said, "You can stay in the guest room for a night. We will have our decision by nightfall."

"Thank you." Ruby and Leah both bowed in respect.

"However, the cat must stay outside. Animals are not allowed in the castle." Honoka stated.

Chika growled quietly , "I'm not just some animal!"

"Chika." Leah hissed in warning.

"Why do you have a cat with you?" Tsubasa asked.

"She's our friend." Ruby replied.

"A cat is your friend?"

No one took that seriously. Chika growled and climbed onto Ruby's head. She eyed everyone in the room.

"Shut up! I am not just a cat!" Chika yelled. She couldn't handle the treatment anymore.

Everyone quieted. Chika gulped as she realized she probably shouldn't have done that. She hated when she let her anger get the best of her. It caused a lot of problems like this one.

"Did that cat just talk?" Honoka asked as she started to approach the young princesses.

Chika gulped. Honoka was soon looking directly at her. Chika meowed and hoped she could convince everyone she hadn't actually talked. Ruby and Leah were watching the scene nervously. They knew this kingdom also wasn't exactly the most welcoming to magic users.

"Girls, mind explaining what that was?" Tsubasa looked at them with a hard gaze.

"Um… I don't know? She can't talk. She's just a cat." Leah did her best to reply and prayed Chika wouldn't be stupid enough to object to anything she said, "It must've been from something else."

"That cat spoke. It had to have." A knight whispered.

"Yeah. Maybe these girls use magic?" Another replied.

Honoka was still eyeing up Chika. Chika was doing her best to act like a normal cat.

"What if they use black magic?"

"I doubt they do. They could've ended the rebellion if they could use it."

"True."

"Girls, I want the truth. You guys obviously know something. You're acting very nervous." Tsubasa stated firmly.

Chika moved down onto Ruby's shoulder. She rubbed her head against Ruby's cheek. She knew she had messed everything up.

"We don't know." Leah stated.

"Knights, show them to their room. I guess the cat can stay." Honoka backed away from them.

Two knights came forward and led Leah, Ruby, and Chika to a spare bedroom. Once they were safely away from everyone, Chika started getting scolded.

"You are an idiot! Maybe we should've brought Yō instead. Do you realize what you could have done to us?" Leah was the one who started the scolding.

"I'm sorry… I really am…" Chika frowned and flattened her ears in shame.

"Leah, don't yell." Ruby said, "What if they hear us?"

"Fine. Chika, I swear to god, you talk again I'm going to make sure you never come into another castle with us. You will stay in the carriage and not leave." Leah stated firmly.

"I promise I won't do it ever again." Chika promised them both.

A knock sounded from the other side of the closed door. They all froze up. No one knew who it was or if they had heard anything. Ruby walked over to the door and opened it up. Standing outside were the two Queens. It was very obvious that they had heard the conversation.

"So, the cat can talk." Tsubasa said as she walked into the room.

Chika gulped and moved behind Leah to hide. Ruby sat down beside Leah. They both hung their heads, knowing they had been caught. Honoka and Tsubasa stood in front of them.

"Girls, I want answers. Can the cat talk?" Tsubasa asked as she tapped her foot.

"I can…" Chika mumbled as she poked her head out from behind Leah. She knew there was nothing they could do to get out of this, so she just admitted the truth.

"How?" Tsubasa eyed Chika was a suspicious gaze. She did not trust Chika at all.

"I was almost killed and a witch healed me. Some of her magic stayed in me and now I can talk." Chika explain in as little detail as she could.

"And where is this witch now?" Honoka asked.

"Dead." Chika mumbled as she looked down at the bed.

"By?"

"Diamond kingdom knights. Back before the new rule." Chika said.

"I'd like more detail." Honoka stated.

"Why? What does it matter? She's dead." Chika asked.

"Chika, just give the details." Leah whispered.

"Fine… my friends had broken Dia and Riko out of the castle. They were being held in the dungeon and were going to be executed. They were hiding out with us and knights started searching. She led them away from the house and they shot her with arrows." Chika said.

"Wait. Why was… why was the Diamond kingdom trying to execute one of its princesses?" Honoka asked in confusion.

"Um… she isn't a pure blood." Ruby mumbled.

"She isn't? Then why has she taken over?"

"Because you think I could rule? She knows a lot more than I do." Ruby defended.

"Half bloods shouldn't be ruling." Tsubasa stated.

"Why not? She's still a good Queen!" Chika argued.

"Who is she taking as King then?"

"No one." Leah said.

"How is she getting an heir to the throne then?"

"She… she already has one?" Ruby admitted nervously.

Honoka and Tsubasa both looked at each other and then back at the girls, "What!?"

"She and someone she loves had a child together." Leah said.

"And why isn't he the King?" Tsubasa questioned them.

"First off, it's she and… she's dead." Chika said.

"You're telling me she used magic to have a child!?"

They all nodded. This was not going in their favor at all. They were worried they might not come out of the castle alive at this rate. There was also the worry that they just made enemies and would be overthrown by them.

"Girls, I don't think you understand the problem. Magic isn't something you should be meddling with." Honoka said, trying to keep calm.

"But we're not!" Leah protested, "Only witches are…"

"You have a witch?" Tsubasa sighed.

"Yeah." Chika nodded, "We have one."

"And what is her name?" Honoka asked.

"Maru."

"Isn't that witch wanted?"

"Not anymore." Chika stated.

"She should be wanted. Witches are evil." Tsubasa stated, "Have you seen what they can do?"

"Tsubasa, dear, how about you go? I can handle this." Honoka nudged Tsubasa toward the door.

"Fine." Tsubasa huffed and left the room.

Honoka turned back to them, "I'm sorry about her. She's a little strict about magic. Things happened that made her wary."

"I guess this means that we're not getting help from you guys, right?" Ruby asked.

"Not necessarily. I might be able to get her to help if you can convince me you deserve it." Honoka said.

"How do we do that?" Leah asked.

"Answer my questions and I'll see if I think it's worth it. Why is the witch no longer wanted?" Honoka said.

"Because the crimes aren't real." Chika stated, "It was a coverup."

"Hmm. What exactly is the reason for keeping her around?"

"She's our friend. She's really useful as well. She's a good witch." Chika said.

"Well, I guess I'll believe you." Honoka said, "So, if the kingdoms are combined, then is there more than one ruler?"

Ruby nodded, "Yes. We have two Queens and one King."

"Who are the others?"

Ruby hesitated, before she finally spoke up, "Mari, the former Shining kingdom princess and… um, Kanan. She was a… a thief from the Sea kingdom."

"You've let a thief rule?" Honoka raised her eyebrows.

Leah and Ruby were both silently relieved. They were glad the reaction wasn't like the one they got at the Tempest kingdom.

"She's not a bad person. She only took what she needed to survive!" Chika stated, "She's been framed for a lot of crimes she didn't do."

"There seems to be a trend of framing people." Honoka commented, "So… this child… um, is everything alright?"

Ruby sighed, "No… she was born without a leg and apparently there's issues with her vocal cords…"

"Please tell me the other two aren't planning to have a child anytime soon." Honoka said.

Ruby and Leah looked at each other. Honoka sighed. That was all the confirmation she needed.

"And what is her current status?"

"Um… she's about three months along." Chika said.

"How old is the other child?" Honoka asked.

"What, she's six months now." Ruby said after some thought.

"That all I needed to know. I'll leave you be for now. I'll send someone when dinner has been served. We will give you our decision then." Honoka said.

She left the room after that. Chika sighed and climbed onto Ruby's lap. Ruby pet her as she looked over at Leah.

"Do any of these kingdoms not have issues with magic?" Leah groaned.

"I think one of them doesn't. It's actually next on our list. The Glass kingdom." Ruby replied, "I heard they have a witch in the castle like we do."

"Well, hopefully that means we'll have a better chance with them."

"Yeah. Let's also hope they don't mind talking animals…" Chika mumbled.

**DIVIDER-- **

A few hours later, the girls were woken from a nap to be informed that dinner was ready. Chika had to stay in the room like last time. She didn't bother complaining. She just curled up on a pillow and went back to bed. Leah and Ruby were led to a private dining room. Only the Queens were there with them.

"So, we have made our decision." Tsubasa stated.

Leah and Ruby waited nervously for the decision. They hoped at least that nothing bad would come of it. They knew they were not on good terms with Tsubasa at all.

"We will send a small party of knights for your cause. There is one thing, though. I do not want your witch using magic on them, understood?" Tsubasa said.

"Even if that means they'll die?" Ruby asked, before she realized she should've just agreed.

"Yes. Unless they wish to be saved. But, do not send them back. They aren't allowed to work for us if they've been touched by magic. It's just always been a rule here." Tsubasa replied, "Changing it will cause much unrest. Most citizens hate magic."

"Thank you for your help." Ruby said, "We'll be in your debt."

"Putting down the rebels will be payment enough. I've done a bit of research. That group isn't just in your area. It's a worldwide group. They just sprout up where they know they have a chance to win." Honoka said, "We wouldn't want them getting into our kingdom or our allies' kingdoms either."

"Oh… well, I'll make sure we tell them that, then."

"How? You're quite far away from them."

"Um… Chika can communicate with the witch through telepathy." Ruby mumbled.

"I see… you really like this witch."

"Well, yeah… she's saved me before…" Ruby mumbled.

"She has?"

"When the Shining kingdom raided our castle thinking Mari was there, they took me hostage. Maru and Yohane, the witch that Chika was talking about that died, went and saved me from them." Ruby said.

"Hmm…" Honoka hummed, "Seems not all witches are as bad as they seem."

"I suppose not." Tsubasa agreed, "But, that doesn't mean we should allow witches so easily."

"I know. I'm just saying that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Honoka said.

"Anyway, I guess we should eat. I'll make the preparations after. Are you guys going back after this?" Tsubasa said.

"No. We are going to another kingdom to ask for help." Leah said.

"Which one?" Honoka asked.

"The Glass kingdom is next." Ruby replied, "We have a few more to go to still."

"Oh? What other ones?" Honoka asked.

"Well, we are going to the Dove kingdom as well. If time allows we will also be going to the Star kingdom." Leah replied.

"I see. Trying to get a lot of help."

"We need it."

"I suppose you probably do."

**DIVIDER-- **

After they ate, Leah and Ruby went back to the guest room. Chika was waiting for them. She started bombarding them with questions.

"They said they'll help us." Ruby said, "They'll send some knights to aid us. We also found out this group isn't just in our area. They're worldwide. They pop up wherever there is a chance for them to take over."

"Oh… that's not good… that means there are more of them that could potentially come out and help." Chika sighed.

"I doubt they'll come once they learn that we are getting help." Leah said.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Leah nodded.

"I guess we should get some rest. We have another long journey ahead of us…" Ruby sighed.

"That we do." Leah agreed.

The three of them settled down on the bed. Sleep didn't come easily. It was hard. They were all worried about what was happening at home. The attacks were getting worse. They had no clue if they should keep going or head back. They knew they needed help, but they didn't want to abandon them if things were getting worse.


	33. Worry and Agony

"Kanan?"

"What is it, Yō?" Kanan asked.

"Maru wants to see you." Yō said.

Kanan got off of her bed. She followed Yō to where Hanamaru was at. Hanamaru greeted her and motioned for her to sit down. Kanan took a seat on Hanamaru's bed.

"What's up, Maru?" Kanan asked.

"There's something you need to know." Hanamaru replied with an emotionless expression.

"Okay?" Kanan was confused. She wasn't sure what was so important that needed a meeting now.

"I… I was talking with Yohane last night. She told me something…" Hanamaru started speaking, "Remember when you were attacked with black magic? Apparently it actually did spread."

"And how does she know this? I haven't shown any signs." Kanan asked.

"Because it only has affected your child." Hanamaru replied, "Yohane said it's made it so now she will definitely have her memories back."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kanan asked.

"No. But, it will be a little strange. She's going to have her memories back the moment she's coherent. It'll be like Riko just suddenly became a baby." Hanamaru said.

"Oh… that'll be weird for all of us." Kanan said.

"Indeed. I'm not sure if she'll be able to talk right away or if she'll have to learn how to again. That's the only other thing I don't know." Hanamaru said.

"Well, we'll just have to hope for the best." Kanan sighed.

"Indeed. Let's hope these knights come quickly. I fear something worse is on the horizon." Hanamaru mumbled, making sure no one but Kanan could hear her.

"Is this just a feeling or did you have a vision?" Kanan asked.

"Just a feeling. If I got a vision I'd have told everyone immediately." Hanamaru replied.

"True… sorry."

"It's fine. Shall we go and see what everyone is up to?" Hanamaru said.

"Sure. I think it'd be a good idea to do a check." Kanan replied.

**DIVIDER-- **

Ruby, Leah, and Chika were back on the road again. This trip was going to take an entire month. The Glass kingdom is a lot farther away from the other kingdoms. They were rumored to have been the first kingdom in this land. The rumors also included them destroying many civilizations around, which is why they have so much territory. Whether the rumors have any truth to them is unknown.

They were a lot more hopeful about this kingdom. With them being a lot more open to magic, they hoped it would make this better. Chika was still told she shouldn't talk unless they know for certain it is okay for her to. While the kingdom may be open to witches, it was never clear if that included familiars of witches. They didn't want to take the chance.

"Do you think they'll know something is up with me? The other two kingdoms both questioned why I was with you guys, so why would this be any different?" Chika worried.

"You have a fair point. They might figure out you can talk by themselves." Leah agreed.

"Do you think they will know we have a witch? Even if we have Chika, that doesn't mean we must have a witch." Ruby said.

"Why are you worried about that?" Chika asked.

"Well, what if they don't like Maru either because she was wanted. Well, to them she will still be considered wanted until we clear that up. If we clear that up." Ruby replied.

"Oh… right…" Chika sighed, "I keep forgetting not all the kingdoms know Maru isn't a criminal anymore."

"Some of these kingdoms might not even know that the throne has been changed." Leah pointed out, "Word doesn't travel to kingdoms that we don't associate with most of the time."

"Yeah… this is tough…" Ruby sighed, "I wish we wouldn't have had to do this…"

"Yeah. I think we all wish that." Leah agreed.

"It would be better if they would understand that you guys are still kids… they shouldn't be treating you the way they are. Sure, you may be royal, but that doesn't change your emotional control." Chika grumbled.

**DIVIDER-- **

Once a month had passed, they had arrived at the next castle. They had announced their arrival again. They were met by knights as always. This was the smallest group of knights to greet them by far. That made them feel a little better. They had more trust than normal. They just hoped that would last.

Their knights were taken to a place to rest while Ruby, Leah, and Chika were taken into a private living room. They were told to sit on the couch and wait for one of the Queens to arrive. Chika had promised them that she wouldn't speak at all unless she was told otherwise.

It wasn't long before someone entered the room. Except, they weren't one of the Queens. It was someone else. None of them recognized her.

"Don't mind me. I'm just here to watch." She said and took a seat on a couch facing the girls.

"Who are you?" Leah asked.

"My name is Nozomi. You would know me as the witch that lives in this castle." The woman replied.

"Oh…"

After that, both of the Queens entered into the room. They sat down on the same couch as Nozomi.

"So, what are your names?"

"Mine is Ruby." Ruby said.

"I'm Leah." Leah said.

"Who's the cat?"

"Her name is Chika." Ruby replied.

"My name is Eli." One of the Queens said.

"And I'm Nico." The other Queen said.

They all greeted each other as was the custom. Then, the serious talk began.

"What exactly brings you two here? You aren't from the same kingdom, correct?" Eli started the questions.

"We are not from the same kingdom. We are here because my kingdom needs help." Ruby said.

"What kind of help are you looking for?" Nico asked.

"There is a rebel group. They call themselves the Rightful Rebellers. Our kingdom has just been rebuilt with an entire new staff and we don't have the means to put down the rebels. We came here to ask for help. Any help you can give would be appreciated." Ruby said as firmly as she could.

"That rebel group is still causing trouble… well, I suppose we can discuss things we can do to help." Eli said, "Are you receiving support from any other kingdoms?"

"The Morning kingdom was kind enough to lend some knights to our cause." Leah said.

"So, why are you two here? Why two princesses from different kingdoms and not the King and Queen?" Nico asked.

"The Queens and King are too busy dealing with this rebellion to come themselves. The Snow kingdom wasn't able to provide any support, but their princesses have remained to help." Ruby explained.

"Queens? And only one King? Did something happen?" Nozomi asked.

Leah nodded, "There are new rulers to the throne. The Shining kingdom and Diamond kingdom have combined into one as well."

"And who are these rulers?" Nico asked, eyeing them with a suspicious gaze.

"Dia, my sister, is the Queen on behalf of the Diamond kingdom and Mari, the former princess of the Shining kingdom, is now the Queen. She has a King. Her name is Kanan. She is from the Sea kingdom." Ruby said.

"All girls, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, what is the current state of the kingdom?" Eli asked.

"The rebels have taken control of the outskirts." Ruby said, "They've also launched attacks on the private grounds."

Eli nodded, "How have the knights been dealing with it?"

"Some have turned traitor. The loyal ones are struggling to keep the rebels down. A few have been killed by the rebels." Leah said.

"I see. You aren't able to manage such a high scale rebellion." Nico commented.

"Will you help us at all?" Ruby asked.

"We will discuss what we can do." Eli said.

"Thank you." Ruby and Leah bowed.

"I suppose you are tired from your journey. I'll show you to your room." Nico stood up and motioned the girls over.

"Can the cat come with me for a little?" Nozomi asked.

Ruby and Leah looked at each other and then at Chika. Chika shrugged at them. She didn't feel like whatever Nozomi wanted was bad.

"I guess." Ruby nodded.

Nozomi walked over and picked Chika up. Nico led Ruby and Leah away. Nozomi walked out with Chika. She took her to a room that looked somewhat similar to Hanamaru's. Nozomi set Chika down on a table.

"I know you can talk. I can feel the magic on you." Nozomi stated.

Chika's eyes went wide. She didn't know what to do. She had worried this would happen. Her worry had come true.

"Why are you so surprised. You know I'm a witch." Nozomi cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"I… I just… the other kingdoms…" Chika stammered out.

"Oh… they didn't take well to you speaking?" Nozomi guessed.

Chika nodded, "They looked at me like I was a demon."

"Well, we won't treat you that way here." Nozomi promised, "There's no reason to worry about people in the kingdom. In the cities, however, you might not want to talk."

"Okay." Chika said. She felt a little more at ease knowing that Nozomi wasn't going to shun her for being able to speak. Then, Chika remembered something.

They most likely would think Hanamaru as wanted. This was not going to be an easy conversation if Nozomi started asking about her past. Sure, Yohane had given her the magic, but now Hanamaru was who she was with. She'd have to mention her at some point in the story.

"Where is the witch that gave you magic?" Nozomi asked, just as Chika had predicted she would.

"Dead." Chika replied bitterly.

"By what means? If you don't mind talking about it." Nozomi asked her in a gentle tone.

"Some knights… she was distracting them and… they shot her." Chika mumbled.

"What was this witch's name?"

"Yohane." Chika said.

"That name doesn't sound very familiar."

"She always kept to herself and never shown herself as a witch." Chika explained.

"How did you come to meet her?" Nozomi asked next.

"I was nearly killed by some kids who decided to kick me. Um, Kanan saved me from them. She brought me to Yohane and she healed me." Chika explained.

"Do you have another witch? It seems weird for your magic energy to be so strong if she's gone." Nozomi commented.

Chika nodded, "Yeah…"

"Who?"

"Maru…" Chika was waiting for the harsh reply.

"Maru? Is that the witch who is wanted by the Diamond kingdom?" Nozomi asked.

Chika nodded, "Yeah. She's no longer wanted, though."

"How'd you come to meet her?"

"She actually saved Yohane from dying and the two of them lived together in a small house on the outskirts of the Sea kingdom." Chika replied, "So, when I was brought to Yohane, I met Maru as well."

"She works in the castle?"

"Yep. She's our witch for the castle." Chika nodded.

"Well, that's all I wanted to really know. Is there anyone else who has used magic in the castle that isn't a witch? If they decide to help you, I'll probably go with the knights, so I'd like to know." Nozomi said.

Chika nodded, "There's been a few."

"May I have names and type of magic?" Nozomi requested.

"I guess…" Chika said, "So, um… Dia used a potion to um, have a kid with a girl."

"Where is this girl at?"

"Dead…" Chika sighed.

"She has a kid?"

Chika nodded, "Yeah. Her name is Rika, but we call her Ri. She's seven months old."

"Alright. Anyone else?" Nozomi asked.

"Kanan and Mari used one as well. Kanan's four months along… and um, she also got attacked by, um… black magic…" Chika admitted hesitantly.

"Did it spread?" Nozomi asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"A little. Apparently it's only to her child." Chika replied.

"What will happen to the child then?" Nozomi asked.

"Well, she's actually a reincarnation of um, the girl Dia loved… so, apparently all that's going to happen is she'll just have her memories back the moment she's able to think." Chika said.

"Oh… I guess that isn't that bad then. Black magic on unborn children can be way worse." Nozomi said.

"Oh…"

"Is that all then?"

"Um, I don't know if Ruby gives off any magic. She's just been healed once and teleported before." Chika said unsurely.

"She doesn't." Nozomi replied.

"Okay. Um… Sarah, um, she is a witch…" Chika was very hesitant to talk about this part.

"What?" Nozomi gasped quietly.

"Apparently someone in her family is a witch, but they removed their magic. They tried to do the same to Sarah but it didn't work and she still has her magic." Chika explained quietly, knowing that if anyone else heard of this, things would turn to hell for them all.

"What type of magic does she excel in?" Nozomi asked.

"Um… nature stuff." Chika said after a moment of thought.

"This is definitely not the news I was expecting to hear." Nozomi stated, "But, I don't think there needs to be any alarm raised at this. As long as she doesn't use her magic for personal gain, I see no issue."

Chika sighed in relief. She didn't know what she would have done if Nozomi didn't like Sarah using magic. Chika didn't know if there was anything she could have done.

"Well, that's all I wanted to know. I'll take you to where they're staying." Nozomi said.

"Okay." Chika nodded.

Nozomi picked her up and carried her out of the room. They headed down a long hallway. This castle was even bigger than the Diamond kingdom's. Chika was amazed by how big and grand it looked.

"Um, can I ask you a question?" Chika asked Nozomi.

Nozomi nodded, "Of course."

"How come you work at the castle? Why did they decide to have a witch?" Chika asked,"Especially with how the other kingdoms around feel about magic."

"It does seem strange, doesn't it? Well, I'm here because the Queens wanted me. Don't tell anyone, but the three of us are actually in a relationship. It's not just the two of them." Nozomi whispered.

Chika's eyes widened in surprise. That was not the answer she had been expecting. It was unheard of for three people to be in a relationship like this. Normally it was just a man with many 'wifes' who were in relationships like that. It was unheard of for royalty.

Nozomi stopped in front of a door, "This is where they're at."

Nozomi knocked on the door to announce herself. She opened the door. Ruby and Leah were sitting on the bed talking to each other. Nozomi set Chika down on the bed and then left.

"So, what did she want?" Ruby asked.

"She knew I had magic. She was asking me about it." Chika replied.

"Nothing bad happened, right?" Leah asked.

"Nothing bad happened." Chika confirmed, "She was very nice about everything I told her."

"That's good. We really don't need to make any enemies."

Leah said.

"Especially not one that can use magic." Ruby added.

"Yeah. They could really hurt us."

"Maru wouldn't let them!" Chika defended, "And Sarah wouldn't either. They could easily fight back with their magic."

"Maybe. But, we'd be done for. They can't protect us here." Leah stated.

"True…" Chika sighed.

"Have you had any more words on the situation?" Ruby asked.

Chika shook her head, "Last I heard they were having demands sent still."

"They better not give in to them."

"They might have to if we can't get help to them soon enough." Ruby pointed out in a sad voice.

"What would we do if that happened?" Chika asked.

"I'd think we'd have to hide out. We couldn't go back then. It would be too dangerous." Leah replied, "But, let's hope that doesn't happen."

"Yeah… let's hope that they can help us."

**DIVIDER-- **

An hour later, they were summoned back to the original meeting room. Nozomi wasn't with them. It was just Eli and Nico. Ruby and Leah went. Chika didn't know if she would be welcome. She stayed back in the room instead.

Eli and Nico discussed what they could provide and what the girls felt they would need. They also discussed a battle strategy for the impending war that would happen.

Chika was sleeping in the room. Someone opened the door and walked in. They snuck in and picked up Chika. Chika didn't stir. The person took Chika out of the room and to a hidden room. Only a few members of the castle knew about this room.

When Ruby and Leah returned to the room, they were both concerned to see that Chika wasn't in the room. They doubted she would have gone and wandered around. She also wasn't with Nozomi, as she had come to the meeting after a few minutes.

"Where could she have gotten to?" Ruby mumbled to herself as she looked around.

"I don't know… I'm worried." Leah replied.

"Maybe one of them knows where she's at?" Ruby suggested.

"I guess we could go and ask." Leah agreed.

They went to go find one of them. They ran into Nico. They asked if she had seen Chika anywhere, but Nico shook her head. The girls were worried. It seemed weird for Chika to just vanish from them without a word. Nico could sense this. She promised she would see if they could find Chika.

Meanwhile, Chika woke to find herself in the room. She sat up to find she was in a cage. Chika looked around the room. There was a figure in the room with her. Chika gulped. She didn't recognize the person at all.

They turned to look at Chika. Chika could tell it was a girl. The girl walked over to Chika.

"Finally awake." She taunted, "I suppose you're confused. You see, I know you're the one giving info back to the Diamond kingdom. I can't allow that. This rebellion will not fail."

Chika gulped. This girl was working for the rebels. Chika was done for. The girl opened the cage and grabbed Chika. She shoved her into a bucket that she couldn't climb out of. One of Chika's paws was chained down so she couldn't jump.

"What are you going to do to me?" Chika asked, her voice trembling with fear.

"I'm going to remove your magic." The girl replied, "Then you can't talk."

Chika panicked worse. If she got rid of her magic, Chika knew she would die. There was no way she wouldn't. Chika tried to undo the chain, but it wasn't coming off. She was stuck.

The girl laughed as she grabbed Chika by her head. Chair struggled. She clawed at the girl, but it didn't work. The girl chanted foreign words. Chika let out a screech. The spell was working. It was removing her magic. It burned like hell.

Chika's struggling became more frantic. She didn't want to die. She couldn't die. They needed her. She was weakening. She was slowly stopping her struggling. She couldn't hold herself up. Her body was becoming numb. Chika knew she was dying.

The door to the room burst open. A knight ran in. He killed the girl without hesitation. Chika knew it was too late. Her magic was gone. There was nothing anyone could do for her.

"Chika!"

Chika weakly looked up. Ruby was there. She untied the chain and picked her up. Chika purred weakly as she nuzzled into Ruby's shirt. Ruby held her close. Leah appeared beside Ruby.

"Chika…"

They left the room. Nozomi and Eli were outside the room. Nozomi's eyes widened as she saw Chika. Ruby walked up to her.

"What's wrong with her? What happened?" Ruby asked as tears started falling down her face.

Nozomi bent down to meet Ruby's level. She looked Chika over. Nozomi gently placed a hand on her and felt for what was wrong. She backed away after a few seconds.

She smiled sadly at Ruby, "I'm sorry. It appears as though her magic was drained."

"What does that mean? What's going to happen to her?" Leah demanded.

"She's going to die."

"Can't you do anything?" Ruby pleaded.

Nozomi shook her head, "I'm sorry, but it's too late. She's too far gone to heal."

Ruby and Leah both started crying. Chika weakly licked Ruby's hand. Ruby looked down at her. Chika purred. Ruby pet her on the head. Chika couldn't talk anymore. She could only use her actions to reassure them.

"I'm sorry, Chika…" Ruby cried, "I'm sorry we can't help you…"

Chika just kept purring. She soon quieted as she took her final breath. Ruby started sobbing. Chika was dead. Leah pulled her into a hug. She was crying as well.

"I'm sorry, girls…" Eli said, "Would you like to bury her here?"

Ruby and Leah nodded. They knew they couldn't take Chika back home. It wasn't possible. Eli carefully took Chika from Ruby. She led the girls to a small garden.

"Pick out a spot for her." Eli told them.

Ruby pointed to a flower patch. The flowers were orange. It reminded her of Chika. Eli nodded and looked at Nozomi. Nozomi used her magic to make a hole in the ground.

"Go ahead and put her in." Eli gave Chika back to Ruby.

Ruby nodded and walked over to the hole. Leah was right beside her. Ruby carefully set Chika down in the hole. She hugged Leah tightly. Leah hugged her back. Nozomi knelt down beside them and covered the hole. She picked a flower from the patch and placed it on the grave.

Ruby and Leah were told they should go and rest. They nodded and went back to the room. It felt so empty without Chika. They missed her a lot.

"How are we going to communicate with them now?" Leah asked, "If we don't, they'll think something bad happened to us."

"Do you think… maybe Yohane could help? If she could visit us and then visit them, we could make it work that way." Ruby asked.

"That could work… if she visits us." Leah sighed, "How are we supposed to get her to visit us?"

"I don't know…" Ruby sighed.

"We'll have to figure it out."


	34. Broken

Leah and Ruby had a tough time falling asleep. They were both tossing and turning. Nothing they did could make anything better. They missed Chika too much.

Suddenly, they felt the bed sink down slightly. They both hesitantly looked. Chika was on the bed. She was a ghost. Ruby and Leah jumped up.

"Chika…" Ruby cried.

Chika purred. She walked over to Ruby and rubbed her face against her shoulder. Ruby smiled as she pat Chika on the head.

"It's alright." Chika said, "I'm still here."

"You can talk?" Leah asked.

Chika nodded, "Yep. I'm still able to talk."

"So…" Ruby sighed, "What are we going to do now…?"

"It's alright. I can travel wherever I want now. I can go and visit them too. I can still deliver the messages." Chika stated.

"That's good."

"Should I do that now?" Chika asked.

"If you want to." Leah said.

"They might react pretty badly to you at first." Ruby warned, "Just try not to scare them too much."

"Okay!" Chika nodded. She vanished from sight.

Chika appeared in the Diamond kingdom castle. She looked around. She kept herself invisible. She wanted to find someone first. Chika started walking. She assumed everyone was asleep. She went to Hanamaru's room.

Hanamaru was in there. She wasn't asleep though. She was at her desk doing some work on a spell. Chika walked into the room through the door. She felt a little strange not having to open the door. Yō was sleeping on the floor next to Hanamaru. Chika took a deep breath. This was going to be tough.

She nervously appeared. She disturbed the energy of the room. Hanamaru was able to sense that. She looked around. Chika gulped as their eyes met.

"Chika?" Hanamaru didn't know how to react.

Chika let out a small meow and then jumped up onto the desk. She had her ears flat against her face and her tail was low. Hanamaru reached out and touched her. Chika nuzzled into Hanamaru's hand.

"What happened?" Hanamaru whispered. She didn't want to wake Yō up.

"Um… a rebel was in the Glass kingdom's palace… they knew I was the one sending messages between the groups…" Chika sighed.

"What did they do to you?"

"She drained my magic…" Chika mumbled.

Hanamaru frowned. She didn't know what to say. It was obvious Chika was suffering from it.

"You haven't crossed over?" Hanamaru asked.

"I… I refuse to. I'm not crossing over until they come back. I'm not leaving them with no way to contact you guys." Chika replied.

"You won't cross over? But, don't you want to see Yohane again?" Hanamaru asked.

"It can wait. She's not going anywhere. And I'm sure she'd rather I do this." Chika said.

"Do you want me to wake Yō up?"

"No… I'm not ready. I don't want her to know yet." Chika said.

"Alright. You want anyone else to know?" Hanamaru asked.

"Um… not now. I'll tell everyone when I'm ready." Chika said, "I'm gonna go back now."

"Okay. Love you, Chika." Hanamaru kissed Chika on the head.

Chika purred, "Love you too, Maru."

With that, she vanished from sight. Chika went back to the Glass kingdom castle. Ruby and Leah had finally fallen asleep. Chika curled up between them. She wasn't able to stay visible for too long, but she could be felt. It wasn't like a cool air either. You could feel her as if she was just invisible.

Ruby wrapped an arm around Chika in her sleep. Chika smiled. She nuzzled Ruby gently and then settled down. She didn't need to sleep. She just laid there and tried her best to provide them some comfort. She hoped they wouldn't have any bad dreams about her death since she was here now.

**DIVIDER-- **

The next morning, Ruby and Leah felt a little better. Knowing that Chika was with them made things better. They were supposed to set off to the next kingdom today. The Dove kingdom. This trip was going to be another long one. They had another month of travel ahead of them.

They were seen off by Eli and Nico. The group was back on the road again. It was a never ending cycle at this point. If they had time after this kingdom, there was another one they would be going to. By the time they reached the Dove Kingdom, the Morning kingdom's knights should arrive at the castle.

Ruby and Leah were discussing this kingdom they were going to. Not too much was known about them. They tended to keep to themselves. Ruby and Leah were wondering if they would even get a chance to go into the kingdom. The Diamond kingdom was not one of the few allies that the Dove kingdom had.

"What do you think they'll do when they learn of our arrival?" Ruby asked, "They sound like they're really mean."

"I don't know… we might be turned away." Leah replied, "At least, that's the best scenario we can hope for if they don't want us."

"You think they'd kill us?" Ruby asked, her eyes widening in fear.

"I don't know… they've killed unwelcome visitors before. Who's to say they won't do the same to us?" Leah said.

That realization made both of them very scared. They didn't know if they would be able to put up a fight against knights. This could be the end of them if things didn't go the way they needed them to.

**DIVIDER-- **

After another long month of travel, they finally reached the Dove kingdom. They had gotten word last night that the Morning kingdom's soldiers had finally arrived. The Glass kingdom's would be a while still. The rebellion was finally being countered. They had taken back some of the land.

Chika still hadn't gone and shown herself to anyone other than Hanamaru. She was too afraid to. She didn't know why.

Ruby and Leah nervously stood by the gates to the main city. This is where they would learn if they were allowed in. The scout had reported that the kingdom would decide by the time they arrived. This was the first time they would learn if they were welcome in the castle or not.

A group of knights approached them. Ruby and Leah held their breaths as they waited for the verdict. The knights unlocked the gates and motioned them inside. They were being allowed in. That was a good sign.

The traveling party was lead to the castle. The knights were told to wait under very careful surveillance. Ruby and Leah were led into the castle. They were brought to a very guarded room. The two queens were waiting for them.

"State your names and the kingdom you belong to." One knight ordered the two of them.

"U-um… K-Kurosawa Ruby… Diamond kingdom." Ruby stammered out. She was extremely nervous.

"Kazuno Leah. Snow kingdom." Leah managed to keep her voice from shaking.

"I am Maki and this is my wife Rin." One of the Queens said.

"What do you want from us?" Rin asked them.

"We come here asking for assistance. The Diamond kingdom is having issues with rebels and aren't able to put them down on their own. The Morning kingdom and Glass kingdom are sending help, but it won't be enough." Leah explained.

"Is there a name for these rebels?" Maki asked.

Ruby nodded, "They call themselves the rightful rebellers."

"It's that group, huh?" Maki turned to Rin.

"Seems so." Rin nodded.

"Will you consider our request for help?" Leah asked.

"Perhaps. We need some more information before we decide if we will give you a chance." Maki said.

"Alright. What would you like to know?" Leah asked.

"Why are you here? You do not belong to the Diamond kingdom." Rin asked.

"Me and my sister are helping them out. It's all the help the Snow kingdom can provide." Leah explained.

"Both of you are princesses?"

"Yes. We haven't become queens." Ruby nodded.

"Who is the current Queen of the Diamond kingdom? And King?" Maki asked.

"Um… there… there's two Queens and, um, one King." Ruby stammered, "The Diamond and Shining kingdom are now one kingdom."

"They are?" Rin and Maki both exchanged looks of surprise.

"Yes." Ruby nodded.

"Who are the rulers then?" Rin asked.

"Um… my sister, Dia, is the Queen for the Diamond kingdom. She doesn't have a king."" Ruby started off.

"When will she take one?" Maki asked.

"Never. She isn't going to take anyone." Leah stated.

"Then no heir?" Maki asked, her face turning a little confused.

"She has one already." Ruby admitted.

"By who?"

The door to the room suddenly opened. A servant popped her head in the room. Her eyes widened as she saw the scene.

"I'm sorry!" She apologized and went to close the door.

"Hanayo~ come in." Rin called to her.

Hanayo nervously came into the room. She shut the door behind her. She made her way over to where Maki and Rin were sitting.

"Do you need something?" Rin asked.

"I… I was just coming to see where you were. I'm sorry I interrupted. I'll leave." Hanayo said.

"It's fine. You can stay." Maki patted the seat next to her.

Hanayo nervously sat down. She glanced at Ruby and Leah.

"This is Hanayo. She's our personal servant." Maki introduced her.

"Now, back to the question." Rin said.

"U-um… with a servant…" Ruby said quietly.

"And where is he now?" Maki asked.

"She's dead." Leah said.

"She?"

"Yes. They used an heir position." Leah sighed. This reaction was common now.

"Fine… who are the rulers from the Shining kingdom?" Maki decided to not question that farther.

"Um, Mari is the Queen. She used to be the princess. And, um, Kanan… she's from the Sea kingdom… she's the King." Ruby said.

"Is she royal blood?" Maki asked.

Leah shook her head, "She's not."

"Then why is she ruling?" Rin asked.

"Because her and Mari love each other. She's actually doing a pretty good job." Leah said.

"You can't have a non royal rule." Maki stated.

"What about Dia's child then?" Ruby asked.

"Half-blooded royals can't rule either." Maki stated firmly.

Ruby and Leah looked at each other. They knew very well they couldn't say anything more. If anyone found out about Dia being half royal, that would mean even worse for Rika. Rika isn't even half a royal then.

"Is there something else, girls?" Maki asked, sensing they were hiding something.

"No." Leah stated flatly.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I don't think we will be allowing anyone to help you from our kingdom." Rin said.

"Understood…" Ruby and Leah sighed.

"Hanayo, would you be a dear and escort them out." Maki asked.

"S-sure!" Hanayo got up.

She guided Ruby and Leah out of the castle. None of them spoke at all. The atmosphere was tense.

"I'm sorry we can't help you." Hanayo whispered as she stopped at the gates.

"It's alright. We should've known this kingdom wasn't worth it." Leah replied, "They would never help outsiders."

"Stay safe. I hope you guys win this rebellion." Hanayo said and then left them.

Ruby and Leah went and got their knights back. They left the city. They hid out in the woods and camped out. They would head off to the Star kingdom in the morning.

Chika appeared before them, "That did not go well at all…"

"Indeed." Leah sighed.

Chika has been with them the entire time. She was just invisible. She hated how quickly they were turned away.

"I guess we have one more shot. If we can't get any more help, I feel as though it's over..." Ruby said.

"Yeah…" Leah agreed.

"I'll go and report what happened." Chika said and then vanished.

She appeared back at the Diamond kingdom castle. Chika looked around. She was trying to see where Hanamaru might be. Chika started walking down the halls. She reached Hanamaru's room. Chika entered.

Hanamaru wasn't in there. Chika sighed. Now she had to do some work. She left the room and went to find her. Chika debated if she should just go and show herself to someone else. She was still hesitant to.

Chika found Mari first. She watched as Mari organized a bookshelf. Chika realized that this was a room that they hadn't used before. They had set up some new rooms while they were away. It was a way to distract them from the rebellion outside.

Chika decided to appear to Mari. She hoped this wasn't going to be a mistake. Chika didn't know how Mari would react to her. She just hoped Mari wouldn't scream.

Chika made herself visible. She nervously walked up to where Mari was. She very gently brushed against Mari's leg. Mari jumped from the touch. She looked down.

"Chika?" Mari knelt down and stared at Chika.

"H-hey…" Chika mumbled.

"You… died?" Mari whispered in disbelief.

Chika nodded, "Yeah…"

"What do you need?" Mari asked.

"Um… just to tell someone the status. The Dove kingdom refused to help us." Chika said.

"Did they say why?" Mari asked.

Chika sighed, "Not out loud, but they don't seem to like when non royals are ruling."

"Oh… it's because of Kanan?" Mari asked.

Chika nodded, "They didn't like that she was the King you chose."

"You guys are going to the Star kingdom then?"

"Yep. Hopefully they will help us."

"Yeah. We've been gaining ground, so that's good. But, it's not enough. We can't crush them." Mari sighed.

"As long as you guys are all safe, it's okay for now." Chika said.

"Who are you talking to, Mari?" Kanan came into the room.

Chika gulped. She hadn't planned on showing herself to anyone else.

"Chika." Mari replied.

She moved to the side. Chika was frozen in place. She looked up at Kanan. Kanan rushed over to where they were. She sat down.

Chika climbed onto Kanan. Kanan pet her. She was sad.

"What happened?" Kanan asked.

"A rebel… they… they drained my magic so I couldn't talk to you guys…" Chika mumbled.

"Well, you're still here…" Kanan whispered, "I'm glad…"

"I'm not going to leave until they come back. Then I'll decide if I want to cross over." Chika said.

"You can cross over already?" Mari asked.

Chika nodded, "Yeah. I can. But, I don't want to leave you guys with no way to communicate."

"Have you told anyone else the news?" Kanan asked.

Chika nodded, "I told Maru a while ago. I've just been too afraid to tell you guys…"

"Well, we have to go." Kanan sighed, "We're having a meeting."

"Okay!" Chika replied.

"You should go and see Yō. I think she deserves to know." Kanan told Chika, before her and Mari left the room.

Chika gulped. That was not what she wanted to do. Telling Yō was the last thing on her mind. She knew that that chat would be the hardest for both of them.

Chika hesitantly started walking around the castle. She went invisible again. Chika was looking to see if she could find someone else to talk to besides Yō. Unfortunately, Yō was who she found.

Chika took a deep breath and then appeared. She let out a quiet meow to draw Yō's attention. Yō perked up and looked over. Her eyes widened at the sight of Chika. Yō let out a whine and then ran over to her.

Chika nuzzled Yō's front legs. Yō replied by nuzzling her snout onto Chika's head. They stayed that way for a while. Chika was trying to keep herself happy and composed. She knew if she started crying, Yō would. And it was also vice versa.

"What's with all the whining?"

Yō and Chika looked up. Dia was standing before them. Her eyes widened at Chika. Chika nervously hid beside Yō. She had not been planning for everyone to find out.

"Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting?" Yō asked.

"I was just about to go there." Dia said, "What's going on here?"

"Um… I kinda… am just seeing everyone?" Chika replied nervously, "I um, I died…"

"Are those two doing okay?" Dia asked.

Chika nodded, "Yeah. They're fine. Um, the Dove kingdom rejected our help request. We're on our way to the Star kingdom now."

"Alright. I have to go."

"Where's Maru at?" Chika asked.

"My room." Dia replied and then she walked away from them.

Chika started walking toward Dia's room. She wanted to talk to Hanamaru. That was the main reason she had come here. Yō followed behind her. They soon made it to the door.

They could hear Hanamaru talking. They assumed she was talking to Rika. Yō gently rammed her side into the door to knock and then opened it up. Chika let her go in first.

"Hey, Yō." Hanamaru greeted her, "Would you mind getting the blanket over there?"

"Nope. Not at all." Yō went and grabbed the small blanket off of a dresser.

She brought it back over to where Hanamaru was siting. She was on the floor with Rika sitting between her legs. Hanamaru took the blanket and wrapped it around Rika. Riko started trying to tug it off of her so she could suck on it.

"Why are you here?" Hanamaru asked.

"Well, everyone else is at the meeting…." Yō said.

"And I'm here too!" Chika called as she entered the room.

"You've finally shown yourself to other people?" Hanamaru questioned.

Chika nodded, "Yep. Everyone but Sarah has seen me now."

"Alright. Are they doing well?" Hanamaru asked.

"Yeah. The Dove kingdom hated us, though… they don't approve of Kanan at all…" Chika sighed.

"So, just the Star kingdom is left." Hanamaru sighed, "Let's hope they can help."

"Yeah. Is everything going alright here?" Chika asked.

"For the most part. The rebels aren't in the main city any more. They've been pushed back." Hanamaru said.

"That's good. Hopefully soon the Glass kingdom will arrive." Chika said.

"Yeah."

"Oh, um… they're probably bringing a witch with them." Chika said.

"They are?"

Chika nodded, "Yeah. She works in the castle like you do."

"Hmm. Well, hopefully she can help out then. Trying to make potions for the army is hard. Even with help, I still have no way to keep up." Hanamaru sighed.

"But the Morning kingdom knights don't use magic, so it shouldn't be that hard." Chika said.

"These potions are for the enemy. They harm them." Hanamaru explained.

"Oh… okay."

"Are you going back soon?" Yō asked.

Chika shrugged, "I guess."

"You should go back to them." Hanamaru said.

"Alright." Chika agreed and then vanished from sight.

She appeared back with Ruby and Leah. She informed them of what was going on back home. They had to travel again. This time, they were heading back the way they had come. This journey would be the longest yet. This one was two months of travel.


	35. Help is Needed

It had been a few days since the rejection from the Dove kingdom. The Morning kingdom's knights weren't able to really hold back the rebels that well. The Glass kingdom would still be a while until they arrived. Things were still hectic as always.

The rebels weren't in the main city anymore, but they still were causing damage to the other cities around. The citizens who remained loyal were starting to get fed up with it. They wanted the rebels to be taken down already. They were sick of this war.

It was another day of this. Everyone was off doing their own things. They rarely got much free time anymore. There was always something that came up.

Yō was bored. She didn't have anything to do, unlike everyone else. She couldn't help them with the battle planning. No one trusted a wolf to make the battle plan.

Yō was currently sunbathing out in the garden. She was watching some birds fly around the trees. Yō perked up as she smelled an unfamiliar scent. She jumped to her feet and started searching for where the scent was coming from.

She was worried it was an intruder. There was always that risk, especially with how little security they could afford to have. Most of their knights had to be on the battle lines. Yō knew she had to make sure this scent wasn't anything bad.

Unfortunately, it was bad. There was someone she didn't know sneaking out of the castle. The scent suddenly changed slightly as the wind direction blew into Yō's face. The intruder was carrying something. Now that Yō could smell them better, she could tell that they were carrying Rika.

Yō let out a growl and stalked forward. They had all discussed the worry of someone trying to take Rika and use her as blackmail. It appeared that was what was happening. The person froze in place and turned toward Yō.

"Let her go or I'll kill you." Yō growled.

They didn't make a move to do as Yō had commanded. They started backing away. Yō growled and started walking closer to them. She knew they were trying to get away.

As Yō had predicted, the person started running. Yō chased after them. She wasn't letting them get away. The criminal wasn't able to go faster than Yō. It was hard to outrun a wolf. They tossed Rika into a bush and then kept running.

Yō stopped her pursuit. As much as she wanted to get that person for what they did, Rika was her main priority. She couldn't just abandon her out here. Yō ran over to where Rika was and examined her. She seemed alright. She was sleeping. You assumed the criminal had drugged her so no one would hear. Yō carefully picked up Rika and brought her back to the castle.

Yō was worried when she saw no one seemed to realize anything had happened. She was certain someone had been with Rika. They never left her by herself for this reason. Yō placed Rika down in the infirmary. She was worried about the few scratches she got from the bush.

One of the nurses tended to her without any question. Yō left them alone and went to investigate why no one knew Rika had been taken. The first thing she needed to do, though, was figure out where she would've been. After a moment, Yō guessed she had been in her room. She had many different scents of people on her, but the strongest besides the thief's was Dia's. That was what Yō was basing her guess on.

Yō went there. She freaked out as she got closer. There was a very distinct smell of fresh blood. Yō hurried up and got to the room. She didn't want to have anyone else know anything was going on until she figured out what was going on herself. Yō opened the door and was greeted by an awful sight.

There was blood all over the place. Lying in the blood was Dia. Yō ran over to her and started nudging her. Yō examined her to see what had happened. She had a lot of stab wounds on her body. They were mainly on her stomach, but a few were on her chest.

Thankfully, she was still breathing. Yō tried to wake her up. She called for Hanamaru to come to the room urgently.

"Yō…"

"Dia. Thank god." Yō nuzzled her face gently, "Don't move, please. Maru's coming."

"Ri…"

"She's alright." Yō reassured her, "She's safe."

Yō tried to keep Dia talking, but she fell unconscious again before long. Moments later, Hanamaru came. She barely stopped herself from screaming at the sight. She ran over to Yō.

"Do you know what happened?" Hanamaru asked her as she sent a message to Kanan for her to come. She needed help.

"Not entirely, but… I know that someone tried to take Ri. I found them and stopped them." Yō explained as much as she could.

Hanamaru didn't know how to reply. She knew this could very well happen, but she didn't think this would have happened the way it did. She thought someone would've tried to take Rika in the middle of the night, not in broad daylight.

Kanan made it to the room. Hanamaru had already told her the situation, so she wasn't that surprised by it. Kanan closed the door so no one would see what was going on.

"Put her on the bed." Hanamaru ordered.

She had laid out some towels on the bed while they were waiting. Kanan carefully did so. She felt a little queasy with all the blood around, especially now that it was on her. Hanamaru quickly got to work.

She removed the dress Dia was wearing. It was completely destroyed and was getting in the way. Hanamaru sent Kanan out to fetch some of her medical supplies after she used her magic to clean her off. They didn't need anyone else knowing what was going on. Kanan was told she could tell Mari or Sarah if they happened to run into each other. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone else in the kingdom for safety reasons. Even the nurses.

"Where is Ri now?" Hanamaru asked Yō as she took a damp towel and started cleaning off the blood.

"In the infirmary. She had a few cuts on her so I just wanted to make sure." Yō replied.

"Alright." Hanamaru accepted the answer and continued to work away.

Kanan came back after a few minutes. Sarah was with her. They had run into each other as Kanan was going back. She just wanted to see for herself how everything was.

"Well, since you're here now… Kanan, can you go to the infirmary? Ri is there. Go get her." Hanamaru commanded.

"Sure." Kanan nodded and left the room. She would've liked to stay, but you don't argue with Hanamaru when she's working. She will get her way.

Hanamaru started to use her magic to start the healing process. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much because of the severity. There was no way she could heal everything in one go. That would require too much magic. She focused on healing the major wounds. She sealed up anything that was contributing to major blood loss.

Once she had done that, she had to sit down. She was exhausted from using that much magic. Hanamaru started instructing Sarah on what to do. She just had to apply some medicines to some wounds and then bandage everything up. Yō was being helpful and fetching the items Hanamaru requested. She knew what they looked like, so she felt it would be easier for her to get them for Sarah.

Kanan came back after a while. She said she was going to go find Mari and hang with her. She really didn't want to stay in the room with how crowded it was already getting. She took Rika with her and went to see what Mari was doing. Rika had woken up a few minutes ago. She was acting normal.

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" Sarah asked, "Won't she be in a lot of pain?"

"I don't know when she'll wake up. But, yes, she will probably be in a lot of pain for a while." Hanamaru replied.

"Can you do anything about that?" Yō asked.

"Unfortunately I don't know. I can't do anything with my magic and I don't know what pills will actually work for her. Some people don't work with any of them." Hanamaru sighed.

"That's not good." Yō whined.

"So, what should we do about this?" Sarah asked.

"Yō, you know what this person looks like, right?" Hanamaru asked.

Yō shook her head, "They hid their features from sight. I only know their scent."

"That's not good…"

"Yō, I'm trusting you to guard her. I doubt they'd come back so soon, but you never know. They may try again since they weren't caught." Hanamaru said.

"Of course." Yō nodded.

"What should we do for now?" Sarah asked.

"I think the best thing we can do is just try to tighten security. Can you do that?" Hanamaru replied.

Sarah nodded, "Yeah. I'll do it."

"Okay. I'm going to make a potion that should hopefully help the healing process. It will take me a while to do, though." Hanamaru said.

"It's fine. I'll keep watch." Yō said, "I'll let you know if she wakes up."

"Thank you." Hanamaru kissed Yō on the head and then her and Sarah left the room.

Yō carefully climbed up onto the bed. She didn't want to shake it if she could help it. Yō curled up beside Dia, her body barely touching her. She wanted Dia to feel her if she woke up, but she didn't want to get too close and apply pressure.

**DIVIDER-- **

A half hour had passed. Yō had dozed off at some point. Hanamaru was still busy making the potion. The security of the castle wasn't able to be increased at all. They were too short staffed to do it. Everyone was on edge at the thought of that person coming back again.

Yō woke up as she felt something brush against her. She blinked open her eyes. Dia was still out, but she was squirming slightly. Yō could tell she was in a lot of pain. She didn't know what she could do. Yō told Hanamaru what was going on. Hanamaru told her there wasn't much she could do unless Dia was awake.

If she was awake, she could try some medicine to see if it would help at all. Yō was debating if she should just wake her up. She didn't know what to do. She didn't have to decide. Dia groaned in pain and opened her eyes slightly. Yō let out a small whine.

"What's going on? Where am I?" Dia mumbled as she tried to sit up.

"Stay down." Yō barked.

"Yō…" Dia looked over at her.

"Yes, it's me. You're in your room still, just on your bed now. Maru patched you up as much as she could." Yō said.

"It hurts…" Dia whispered.

"I know… I'll see if I can find something to help." Yō replied.

She carefully got off the bed. She knew any movement from it would make the pain worse. Yō went to the bag of medicine and dug through it. She found one of the pill bottles Hanamaru had said might work. Yō carefully brought it back to Dia.

"Maru said to take one and see if it helps." Yō said.

Dia took the bottle from her and tried to open it. She got it open with a bit of struggling and took one of the pills. Yō placed the bottle back in the bag. Dia closed her eyes and prayed the pain would lessen.

"Hey, um, can you tell me what happened?" Yō asked.

"Someone just… came in… I tried to chase them off, but it didn't work. They attacked me and… were really brutal about it." Dia mumbled.

"Unfortunately, they're still out there. Do you know what they look like or were they all covered up?" Yō asked.

"All covered…" Dia replied.

"Kanan and Mari are taking care of Ri for now." Yō said, "So don't worry about her."

"That's… good…"

Yō could tell Dia was fading out of consciousness again. She assumed the pill wasn't working. Yō gently nuzzled Dia's cheek. She curled up beside her. Dia wrapped one of her arms around Yō's neck. Yō frowned slightly as she licked Dia's cheek gently. This was going to be a tough time.

**DIVIDER-- **

A month had gone by. Dia had recovered from the attack. The person never came back. Ruby and Leah were still far away from the Star kingdom. Ruby had been extremely worried when Chika had reported what had happened back home.

Nothing either of them could do could calm her down. Now that they knew Dia was okay, it helped Ruby a little. Unfortunately, the fact that the person was still out there wasn't calming at all. No one could say for certain if they would come back and try again.

Ruby and Leah were nervous. This last kingdom was their only hope. There was no way they would be able to win without them. The Glass and Morning kingdoms wouldn't be enough. They had gotten wind of the fact the Tempest kingdom was debating joining to aid the Morning kingdom, but it wasn't confirmed at all.

Everyone was hoping it was true and that they would join. This rebellion could hurt them if they got control of the Diamond kingdom. Ruby and Leah were also extremely worried about what would happen to them if they did lose. They would have to be on the run.

Nothing was going their ways. No one was able to rest. Everything was going wrong. That was exactly what they hadn't wanted. And more could go wrong still. It seemed like they weren't getting a break yet.


	36. Again?

After another month of travel, they had finally made it to the Star kingdom. Ruby and Leah were both very nervous about this. If this didn't go well, it was over for them. There wouldn't be much hope of winning. Even if the Glass kingdom had finally arrived, their reinforcements weren't enough still. The rebel group just kept growing in number.

A few knights were waiting to escort them inside. Their knights had to remain outside of the throne room. Ruby and Leah waited nervously as the two Queens walked into sight.

"Hello, what are your names?" One of the Queens asked.

"I-I'm Ruby." Ruby squeaked.

"I'm Leah." Leah said. She gripped Ruby's hand to try and provide some comfort.

"I'm Erena and this is my wife Anju."

"Nice to meet you." They all greeted each other.

"So girls, what's the problem?" Anju asked as she motioned for them to walk closer.

Ruby and Leah looked at each other and then nervously started walking closer. No matter how many times they did this, it never got easier to face them.

"Um, the Diamond kingdom is having issues with rebels. We do not have the ability to stop it. There are some knights from the Glass and Morning kingdoms but they are still not enough to help us win. We came here to ask if you could provide some help to our cause." Leah explained.

"What do these rebels call themselves?" Erena questioned.

"The rightful rebellers." Ruby said.

"I see. I'm not sure what we can do to help you, but we will see. Is there anything else we should know about?" Erena asked.

"U-um… they um, they're currently trying to kidnap a baby. She's royal." Leah said, hoping that might help their case.

"Why are they trying to take a child?" Anju asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For blackmail. They want to use her to get us to surrender." Ruby said.

"Well, I don't think that's something we can just let go on." Anju said as she looked over at Erena.

"What have they done to try and get this child?" Erena asked.

"They nearly murdered her mother." Leah replied.

"That's just cruel. They could've done it without hurting anyone if they so wished to." Erena growled.

"So, will you help us?" Ruby asked.

"I think we will. We'll discuss what we can offer. I suppose you must be tired from the journey. Would you like to rest for a while?" Anju said.

Ruby and Leah nodded. Anju called in a maid and asked them to take Ruby and Leah to a spare bedroom. They two of them collapsed on the bed and were almost asleep in seconds. They were exhausted from the journey and all the stress.

Chika curled up between them as she normally did. She closed her eyes and drifted into her head for a while. She didn't see a reason to go visit the others since they didn't know everything yet. She'd visit once she knew more about what this kingdom was going to send.

**DIVIDER-- **

While they were sleeping, things were going on back at the Diamond kingdom. There were riots again. The Glass kingdom's knights were the main ones helping. They were still badly outnumbered. It was not going well for them. The Morning kingdom had managed to convince the Tempest kingdom to come and help with the war. They would be arriving in a while. They were about halfway to the kingdom.

Everyone at the castle was on edge as always. If anyone got through the knights, there wasn't much stopping them from coming into the castle. They were all hanging out in pairs of two or more for safety. Everyone was armed if they could be.

"Kanan? Do you think we can win this?" Mari whispered.

Her and Kanan were hanging out in the library. They were both just sitting at a table. Neither was doing anything.

"I don't know… unless we can get enough help to fight back and succeed, it's over." Kanan sighed.

"You don't have much faith in us, huh?" Mari said, "I guess I don't have much either."

They fell back into an uncomfortable silence. Things were tense. Everyone was worried. They were mainly worried that someone would try and take Rika again. That brought about more worries. If this war didn't end by the time Kanan was due, things could get even worse. Then they'd have two defenseless children to worry about. Kanan was getting close. She was about two months away from the expected date.

The door to the library opened up. Two rebels were there. They had gotten into the castle. Mari and Kanan jumped up and held out their weapons. Both were armed with swords. The rebels didn't seem fazed by them at all despite the fact they were only armed were dull weapons that couldn't cut someone.

They launched themselves forward. The four of them fought hard. No one was getting ahead. They were evenly matched. One of the rebels managed to get a hard blow on Kanan. Kanan stumbled backwards. She was defenseless for the moment and the rebel took advantage of that.

"Kanan!" Mari yelped as the rebel swung their dull weapon at Kanan.

Kanan tumbled to the ground from the blow. She was too dazed to get back up. The world was spinning. The rebels grabbed Mari and got her sword out from her grip. They tossed it to the side. Mari was kicking them as hard as she could, but it wasn't doing anything to help her.

The rebels were getting fed up with her struggling and whacked her over the head with one of their weapons. Mari felt limp against them. The rebels smirked at each other and then drug her out.

Kanan managed to get a grip on her surroundings again. She pushed herself up and looked around. She started panicking when she saw Mari was gone. Kanan struggled to her feet, only to fall back to the ground as she lost her balance.

Footsteps could be heard getting closer. Kanan looked at the door. She winced as she felt blood trickling down her face. Hanamaru entered the room. Her eyes widened at the sight. She ran over to Kanan.

"Are you okay?" Hanamaru asked as she healed the wound.

"Y-yeah… but…" Kanan mumbled, "But they took Mari…"

"It's okay, Kanan. We'll get her back." Hanamaru promised, "And she's tough. I'm sure she'll survive until we can get her back."

"I couldn't do anything…" Kanan whispered.

"You did what you could." Hanamaru stared.

"But if I hadn't gotten hit, this wouldn't have happened…" Kanan protested.

"Look, things happen that we don't want to. You have to live with it. We will get her back. I promise you that." Hanamaru said firmly.

Kanan said nothing more. Hanamaru sighed and helped her to her feet. Kanan was still a little unsteady. Hanamaru led her to her room and told her to lie down. She stayed with her for protection as they didn't know if anyone else might come in.

Kanan didn't move. She blankly stared up at the ceiling. Hanamaru didn't know what to do. She knew Kanan was going to keep blaming herself until Mari said otherwise. Unfortunately, that would mean Kanan would be down until they got Mari back. Hanamaru didn't know how long that might take them to do. She had told Kanan that Mari would survive, but she didn't believe those words she had said. No one could tell what might happen to her in the rebels' command.

**DIVIDER-- **

Ruby and Leah were woken up by a knock on the door. A maid came in and explained they would eat lunch with the Queens and get their answer. Ruby and Leah followed her. They were nervous. They needed help and this was their last chance to get any. If they couldn't secure enough knights from here, there was no way they could win.

Ruby and Leah took seats opposite of the Queens. The cooks laid out some food for them. They didn't eat yet. They all sat in silence.

"So, we have come to our decision." Erena said, "We will be sending about 15 knights to aid you."

"Thank you." Ruby said.

"I hope you will succeed in winning this." Anju said, "That group of rebels needs to learn that they can't win."

"I hope this will teach them that lesson." Leah said.

They ate in silence. Afterwards, they went back to their room. Chika was waiting there. She had decided to not follow them to the meeting. She appeared once they had closed the door. Ruby told her what had happened. Chika was happy.

Once they were done talking, Chika went and vanished. She appeared in the castle and went searching for someone. She felt uneasy as she noticed there was no one around. Chika went to Hanamaru's room, but it was empty.

Chika continued her search. She made it to Kanan's room next. Chika had barely seen anyone in the halls. She was worried that something bad had happened. Chika entered the room. She was relieved to see Kanan and Hanamaru were there.

Chika made herself visible. She let out a small meow to draw their attention to her and then jumped on the bed. Kanan barely acknowledged her presence. She was blankly staring down at the bed. Chika looked over at Hanamaru, hoping for an explanation.

"Rebels attacked the castle." Hanamaru said, "They took Mari…"

"Is everyone else okay?" Chika asked.

Hanamaru nodded, "Yes. No one else was hurt badly."

"Kanan? Are you doing okay?" Chika asked as she climbed onto Kanan's lap.

"Leave me alone." Kanan growled.

"What's wrong?" Chika whined.

"She feels like she's the reason Mari was taken." Hanamaru said.

"It's not your fault, Kanan." Chika stated.

"It is. I was careless and now she's gone…" Kanan whispered.

"We can get her back." Hanamaru said, "I know we can."

"How? The rebels are too strong for us." Kanan grumbled.

"The Star kingdom is sending knights to help!" Chika jumped up.

"It won't be fast enough." Kanan stated.

"It will be. They're only about a month's travel away. We can win this war still, Kanan. The Tempest kingdom is coming too. They'll be here soon. We can do it." Hanamaru reasoned.

"The Tempest kingdom is joining? But they hate us because we use magic." Chika said.

"I know, but the Morning kingdom convinced them to join. It isn't impossible for the rebels to then try their luck with other kingdoms. They're one of the closest to us." Hanamaru replied.

"Well, I'm glad we're getting more help. Um, where are the Glass kingdom knights stationed?" Chika asked.

"They're close to where we believe their headquarters are." Kanan said.

"The witch you told me about is here with us at the moment." Hanamaru said, "I'm not sure where she is right now."

"Well, I think I better head back to them. We'll head home tomorrow morning." Chika said.

"Alright. Stay safe." Hanamaru said.

Chika left them and went back to Ruby and Leah. They were fast asleep on the bed. Chika couldn't blame them. They had had a very rough time with all of this traveling. Even when they made it home, there wouldn't be time to rest. They had to keep fighting.

Chika didn't want to disturb them. They were cuddling with each other. Chika curled up beside Ruby's back. She watched the sky from the window. She knew this would still be tough. They were still very young and forced to deal with this.

Now, there was a new problem. They had Mari. They could use her to get their way. No one would want her to get hurt. They were going to have to be very careful about how they approached this rescue. One wrong move and she could end up dead.


	37. Rescuing Mari, Again

It had been half a month since the attack. The Tempest kingdom had arrived with their knights. They were able to gain some ground on the rebels. Mari was still being held captive by them. They were making demands for her release. All the demands were things they did not want to give to them.

Since that day, they had all been planning on what to do to get Mari back. They didn't think tricking the rebels would work. They seemed to be extremely cautious of them. This mission would be hard. They had to stealthily take Mari back without anyone noticing.

The problem was figuring out who was to go and do it. They weren't trusting any knights to do it. They needed them here as it was. Kanan wasn't allowed to go. Hanamaru wanted to go with whoever went, but she was hesitant since she was needed to heal. They wanted someone with magic to go so they could use it to their advantage. If they could turn invisible, they might be able to do it easier.

No one knew what to do. There were too many "what ifs" going around. They didn't know what to start trying to work with. Eventually, they decided to just make a plan and stick with it.

The rescue group ended up being Sarah and Yō. They needed one more person. No one could figure out who it should be, though. After a lot of bickering about it, they eventually relented and let Dia go as well. They didn't want her going, but they really didn't have a choice.

They were going to set out in two days. They had a lot to do to prepare for this journey. While it wasn't a far one, it was going to be a very long one. They had no idea how long it might actually take them to get Mari. They might have to stake out for a week just to learn the schedule of those who are guarding her.

It also wasn't very helpful that Sarah was still learning how to use her magic. She couldn't do too much yet. They wouldn't be able to rely on her for too much help because of that. Sarah was trying her best to learn some useful spells for the journey, but with how hectic things were Hanamaru barely had time to teach her anything.

Sarah sighed as she looked out a window in her bedroom. She hated that she wasn't able to help them that much. She stared out at the sky. It was just turning to dusk.

A knock sounded on the door. Sarah turned around and went to open it. Outside her room stood Nozomi. She smiled at Sarah and asked to come inside. Sarah hesitated for a moment, before she let her in. They hadn't told Nozomi that Sarah was going because she had magic. They didn't want her to find out. But, little did they know that Chika had told her back when they had first met.

"So, first, I was wondering if you would maybe like me to join your party?" Nozomi said, "I can help out a lot more with magic. I know how to fight as well, so don't worry about that. It seems you could use the help."

"We're fine." Sarah stated.

"I'm not too sure about that. You don't seem to have much knowledge on your magic. Don't you think someone more experienced would be useful?" Nozomi replied.

Sarah turned pale and froze in place. She had no clue how Nozomi knew about her magic. She didn't know how she would take the news.

"Oh… you weren't aware I knew?" Nozomi asked, "That cat, Chika, right? She told me."

"Y-you don't m-mind?" Sarah asked.

"Not at all. As long as you're not using it for selfish reasons, I don't really see a problem with it." Nozomi said.

Sarah let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god…"

"So, may I join you guys?" Nozomi asked again.

"I guess. If you really want to." Sarah said.

"I think you could use me. If you'd like, I can teach you a few things. It seems like Maru is quite busy." Nozomi offered.

"Yeah… she's always busy anymore…." Sarah nodded, "You'd really teach me?"

Nozomi nodded, "Of course. You seem like you want to learn how to use your magic, so why wouldn't I? I won't teach someone who doesn't want to learn. It just seems wrong."

"Thank you."

**DIVIDER-- **

The rebels didn't treat Mari that badly. They didn't beat her for no reason. They didn't starve her. They didn't do anything to her unless there was a reason. Mari was beaten at times when she got feisty with them. They were the only times that she got beaten.

Mari was confused by her treatment. She had been expecting them to be merciless. Mari didn't understand it at all. She was someone that could end the kingdom if she died. She had assumed they would've threatened her life already.

A girl came into the cell. She was always the one who came in. She had dull pink hair and yellow eyes. She was carrying food with her.

"Here." She said and set the plate down on the ground.

Mari looked up at her. The girl seemed too young to be part of the rebel group. The girl looked at Mari with a somewhat blank expression. She seemed like she was worried about Mari. Mari didn't understand that. She was the enemy.

"What's your name?" Mari asked. She doubted she would learn it.

"Um… I… I'm not supposed to tell you." She stammered nervously.

"I know, but no one is here but us." Mari said.

"Um… my name… it's um, Ayumu." The girl stammered. She was glancing around the place with a scared look in her eyes.

"You don't seem like the type to be a rebel." Mari stated.

Ayumu gulped, "Well… my family joined and, um… I had to as well…."

"You don't agree with them?" Mari asked.

Ayumu nodded, "I don't like how they're going about it. They could just as easily make a kingdom of their own."

Mari nodded, "Yeah. There's a very big land area without anyone. They could claim it for themselves."

"I guess they don't want to have to do any work for it in terms of creation." Ayumu said.

"So, would you betray them if you could?" Mari asked.

Ayumu didn't reply at first. She didn't know what to say to that. Eventually, she nodded. She would betray them if she could.

"Ayumu? You still in here?" A voice called from outside the cell.

"Yes. You can come in if you'd like." Ayumu called back.

A girl walked in. Her face was covered by a mask. You couldn't see anything more than just a small glimpse of her eyes. Mari examined her for any weapons. She didn't have any, but what she did have were burn marks covering her exposed skin.

"This is Rina. She's my adopted sister. We rescued her from a burning house." Ayumu introduced the girl.

"H-hi…" Rina shyly greeted, "Um… you shouldn't be telling her our names."

"It's fine. It's just us here." Ayumu replied, "And… I'm on her side."

"You realize if anyone finds out you'll be killed!?" Rina panicked at that statement.

"I know. I'm willing to risk it. You feel the same way, don't you?" Ayumu said calmly.

Rina hesitantly nodded, "I do."

"Well, some of my friends will be coming to try and rescue me. Maybe you could aid them? If you do, we can give you protection at the castle." Mari offered.

"How many will you protect. There's more of us who don't want to be here." Ayumu asked.

"As many as you have. We could use help and inside knowledge." Mari replied.

"Then consider it a deal." Ayumu stated.

"Who will be coming for you?" Rina asked.

"I'm not sure quite yet. But, you'll know them when you see them. It will be either the other rulers or maybe one of the aids from the allied kingdoms." Mari replied.

"Okay. Well, we better get back." Ayumu bowed slightly and then her and Rina hurriedly left the cell.

Mari let out a sigh. She hoped they truly were on her side. They were still children, there was always the chance that they might go back on what they said. Mari picked up the plate of food. She trusted Ayumu to not give her something poisonous.

**DIVIDER-- **

Ayumu and Rina went back to their house. Ayumu informed her parents she had fed Mari as she was told to. Once they were okay, she and Rina said they wanted to go and play in the woods for a bit. They were allowed to go and do so.

Ayumu instead led Rina to a small cave in the forest that only they knew of. Inside the cave was a girl who they had helped escape from her abusive parents. Ayumu pulled out a small bag from her coat. She had hid food to bring to the girl.

"Ne, it's me, Ayumu, Emma. I've brought some food." Ayumu called into the cave.

She walked into it with Rina trailing behind. A little deeper into the cave sat a girl. She looked up at the two of them as they approached her. Ayumu smiled and waved as she set down the bag of food. Emma picked it up and opened it.

"So… Emma. I have a question for you." Ayumu said.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"Well, um… would you be willing to betray the rebels and help the kingdom win?" Ayumu asked

"What!? Just what the hell have you done?" Emma stared at her in shock.

"Well… I kinda talked to Mari and um… she promised anyone who helps protection." Ayumu explained.

"You're really going to do this?" Emma asked.

Ayumu nodded, "Yep. I want to help them win. This group doesn't deserve this land."

"You promise we'll get protection?" Emma questioned.

"That's what she told me." Ayumu said.

"You're going along with this too, Rina?" Emma asked.

Rina hesitantly nodded, "Yes. I'll do it."

"Well, if you're so sure this will work, then I guess I'll join you." Emma said after a moment of thought.

"Yay!" Ayumu smiled and jumped up and down.

"Calm down." Rina said, "You'll make something fall."

Ayumu stopped jumping, "Right. Sorry."

"Are you planning to recruit kids like you?" Emma asked.

Ayumu nodded, "Yep. We'll show our parents why they shouldn't force us to do what they want."

"Good luck getting others to join. There's rarely time to talk to any of them in private." Emma said to them.

"I know someone who has plenty of time to." Ayumu replied with a sly smile.

"You're gonna talk to Karin about it?" Emma asked.

"Yep. She's able to talk to anyone under the guise of giving them a medical examination. It's perfect!" Ayumu nodded excitedly.

"Well, good luck." Emma said.

"Um… what about the witch that's being held prisoner? Are you going to try and get her to join too?" Rina asked.

"That's a good idea!" Ayumu said.

"You're insane. Stay safe." Emma told them.

Ayumu and Rina left her. They went back to the camp. Ayumu told Rina to go home. She didn't need to be involved in this anymore than she had to be. Ayumu went and searched for where Karin was. She needed to recruit as many as she could. She had no idea how long she would have until the rescue party came.

Ayumu found Karin in her house. That was where she did all of her medical stuff. There was not enough supplies to make an entirely different area for that. Ayumu waved to her as she approached. Karin went and opened the door to the small hut.

"What do you want now, Ayumu?" Karin asked.

Ayumu pouted, "I didn't get hurt, I promise. I came to ask you if we could talk in private about something."

"It better be good." Karin said.

"It is." Ayumu promised.

Karin led Ayumu into her house. They went to a back room where she made her salves. Ayumu took a seat. Karin remained standing.

"Talk. I don't have all day." Karin said.

"Well, um, you know how we have one of the Queens? Um, I was talking to her and she told me something." Ayumu said.

"And what was it?" Karin asked.

"She told me that anyone who helps the rescue party get her back will be allowed to go live at the castle and be protected." Ayumu stated.

"You believe her?" Karin raised an eyebrow at her.

Ayumu nodded, "I do."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Karin asked.

"Well… you could join. But, I was hoping you could recruit some kids. You're the only one who can really be alone with them." Ayumu said.

"You're asking me to betray this group? Do you realize what they'll do to traitors?" Karin questioned.

"I know what they'll do. I'm willing to risk my life to stand up for what I believe." Ayumu said confidently.

"Let me think about it." Karin said.

"Please hurry. Who knows when the rescue party will arrive." Ayumu pleaded.

"Are you planning to talk anyone else into helping?" Karin asked.

Ayumu nodded, "Yes. I'm gonna talk to the witch we caught."

"I don't know how wise of an idea that is…" Karin mumbled.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Ayumu asked.

"Just be careful." Karin warned.

"I will." Ayumu promised.

Ayumu left after that. She went to her family and told them she was delivering the meal to the witch. They didn't think anything of it and let her go. Ayumu volunteered to be the one who went and fed the prisoners. She wasn't scared. She felt she would get on their good side by being nice.

Ayumu grabbed the plate of food for the witch and then made her way to the cell. Ayumu walked in. The witch looked up at her with a glare. Ayumu tried her best to remain composed. She set down the plate.

"Um, I was wondering if you'd talk?" Ayumu nervously asked.

"About what?" The witch spat at her.

"Well, I know a way for you to be free. Are you interested?" Ayumu said.

"Depends. What do I have to do?" The witch asked.

"You have to help the kingdom." Ayumu replied.

The witch laughed, "You think I'd help the kingdom?"

"You will if you want to be free." Ayumu replied.

"What makes you think they won't kill me?" The witch asked.

"Because they have a witch of their own." Ayumu said.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Ayumu. Can I know yours?"

"I guess. It's Setsuna." The witch replied, "I'm surprised you told me your name. Aren't you not allowed to?"

Ayumu nodded, "We're not, but that won't stop me."

"You're brave, kid. I respect that." Setsuna said.

"Will you help the kingdom?" Ayumu asked.

Setsuna thought about it for a little, "On one condition."

"What is it?"

"You let my friend help. She's not from here, but she's like a sister to me. Where I go, she goes, understand?" Setsuna said.

"Of course. We'll gladly take any help we can. Is she also a witch?" Ayumu said.

Setsuna nodded, "Yes. She used to be my apprentice, but she's graduated from that title a long time ago."

"Where can I find her?" Ayumu asked.

"The pond. There's a carved up tree. Walk that way and you'll find her house." Setsuna replied.

"Okay. I will. I'll let you go once we know the rescue party is here, okay?" Ayumu said.

Setsuna nodded, "Sounds good. Stay safe, kid. This is a very dangerous thing you're doing."

"I know." Ayumu replied.

Ayumu left the cell. She was planning to sneak out tonight to go and find the witch. Ayumu looked around the camp. She saw Karin again. Karin nodded to her and then went to talk to a mother and her kid. Ayumu could barely stop herself from smiling. Karin was doing it.

They had a chance to succeed. If they could get enough people to help, then they could do it. Ayumu just hoped no one would catch on to what they are doing. She knew they would all be killed for doing this. Ayumu shivered at the thought. She had witnessed a traitor be killed before. She did not want to end up in that spot.

Ayumu made her way back home. Rina greeted her happily. The two of them went to their shared room. They had nothing else to do until after dinner. Rina looked up at Ayumu.

"Hey, do you think one of the witches could heal my burns?" Rina asked quietly.

"I bet one of them could." Ayumu replied.

"I hope so. It'd be nice to not have to wear this mask…" Rina sighed.

"You don't have to wear the mask." Ayumu pointed out.

"I know, but then everyone looks at me like I'm a monster. This way less people treat me that way." Rina said.

"I could make you a prettier mask if you'd like." Ayumu offered.

"Well, if they can't heal me, then yeah, I'd like that." Rina said.

"Okay. Anyway, cover for me after lights out. I have to find a witch in the forest. Apparently she was the captured witch's apprentice at one time." Ayumu whispered.

"Okay. I'll do my best." Rina promised.

**DIVIDER-- **

The rescue party was just leaving. The party consisted of Yō, Dia, Sarah, and Nozomi. Everyone else wished them luck. The four of them set off. They would have to be very sneaky. Getting to the camp without being seen was going to be a hard task. Nozomi told them she would turn them invisible once they got closer to the camp.

Yō was leading the way. She was sniffing for any fresh scents of unfamiliar people. They would have to constantly be on high alert. If so much as one person told the rebels they were coming, it would be over for them.

"How far do you think this camp is?" Sarah asked.

"From what we've been able to get, they seem to be camping out in the forest in the middle of one of the outskirts towns." Dia replied, "That will be a little ways."

"When do you think we'll get there by?" Yō asked.

"It depends on how fast we go. If we keep this pace with no interruptions, we should get there by sunrise tomorrow. The town isn't that far, thankfully." Dia said.

"I hope she's doing okay…" Yō mumbled.

"Well, they haven't sent us any notes about hurting her, so I'm assuming if they've done anything, it wasn't severe." Sarah said.

"They really haven't sent any threats like that?" Nozomi asked.

Dia shook her head, "They haven't."

"This should be interesting then."

**DIVIDER-- **

When night fell, Ayumu snuck out. Rina was trying her best to make it seem like they were both in the house. If anyone came into their room and looked too closely, they'd realize that Ayumu wasn't in the bed.

Ayumu knew she had to be quick about this. She didn't trust her parents not to check in on them at some point in the night. Ayumu quickly made her way to the pond. She found the tree and walked in that direction.

She saw lights deeper in the forest. Ayumu assumed that meant she had found the house. She walked up to it. Ayumu paused at the door. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She waited as she heard someone rustling around in the house.

The door opened a crack, "Who's there?"

"Um, my name is Ayumu. Setsuna told me to come find you." Ayumu said.

The door opened fully to reveal a girl. She eyed Ayumu up. She motioned for her to step inside the house. Ayumu hesitated, before she did so. The witch closed the door and then motioned for Ayumu to sit at a table.

"Where is Setsuna?" The witch asked.

"She was captured by the rebel group." Ayumu replied.

"Why did she send you to find me?" The witch asked.

"Can I have your name first?" Ayumu asked.

The witch sighed, "Fine. My name is Ai. Now tell me."

"I asked her if she would help the kingdom. She said she would if you were allowed to come as well." Ayumu explained.

"Why are you rising up now?" Ai asked.

"Because the group has one of the Queens. We're going to help her escape." Ayumu said.

"You're telling me that I'm supposed to help you do this?" Ai questioned.

Ayumu nodded, "Yes. That's what Setsuna said."

"When is this going to happen?" Ai asked.

Ayumu shrugged, "I don't know. We don't know when the rescue party will arrive."

"I see. Well, you know where to find me when it's time, I guess." Ai said.

"Okay!" Ayumu smiled.

"I suggest you get back to your house. Don't want to be caught being out so late, do ya?" Ai ushered Ayumu toward the door.

"Alright. I'll let you know when we're going to attack." Ayumu nodded and started making her way back to her house.

As she was walking, she heard voices. Ayumu crept closer to the noise. She could smell smoke. Ayumu soon came to a clearing. In the clearing were the rescue party members. Ayumu smiled. They had made it.

Ayumu didn't know how to approach them. She didn't want them to think she was an enemy. Ayumu gulped nervously and started walking into the clearing.

Yō jumped up and got into an aggressive stance. She bared her fangs at Ayumu as she came into sight. Ayumu froze in place. She took a step back. Yō growled and moved closer. Ayumu tripped over a rock and fell onto her butt. She was shaking in fear as Yō kept getting closer.

"Yō, back off!" Dia called, "Can't you see that she's just a child?"

Yō stopped her approach. She looked Ayumu over. Ayumu was staring at her with wide eyes that were filled with fear. Yō stood down and went back to sitting next to Dia. Ayumu shakily pushed herself to her feet.

"Sorry about that. This is a dangerous place." Sarah apologized, "Speaking of that. Why are you out this late at night?"

"U-um… I was running a message to someone." Ayumu said.

"Who are you?" Dia asked.

"A-Ayumu…" Ayumu stammered.

"Where do you live?" Dia asked next.

"The… the rebel camp." Ayumu gulped. She didn't know if that would make Yō attack her again.

"Pardon me, but you don't seem like rebel material." Nozomi said.

"My parents joined… so I was forced to as well…" Ayumu explained.

"Can you help us with something?" Sarah asked.

"Are you asking me to help res-" Ayumu was cut off as shouts started up in the forest behind them.

She jumped and whipped around. Everyone was staring at the forest. There were two voices that were a lot closer to them than the others. Ayumu recognizes them as being some of the guards from the camp. She knew they were looking for her.

"Come on. We better hide." Sarah said as she doused the fire.

Ayumu looked at them. She didn't know what she was going to do. She'd be killed on the spot for breaking the rule.

"Do you know somewhere to hide?" Nozomi asked Ayumu.

Ayumu nodded. She guessed she was going to be hiding out with them for a bit. She led them to a small cave. It was close to the camp, but very well hidden that no one ever noticed it. They sat there and waited to see when the search would end.

"Where's your sister!?"

"I don't know!"

Ayumu jumped up at that voice. It was Rina. Ayumu peered through the foliage to look at the camp. Rina was cowering in the center of the camp. Two guards stood over her. They were wielding sharp knives.

"You have to know! Tell us now or your life will be over!"

Ayumu went pale. She needed to save her. She couldn't just let them kill her. But, what could she do? She was just a child. These were adults with training. How could she beat them?

"I'm telling you, I don't know!" Rina pleaded.

"Then we'll kill you!"

With that, the first guard sliced his knife down Rina's face. Her mask did little to stop it from cutting into her flesh. Rina screamed out in pain. The other guard stabbed her in the chest. Ayumu started crying. She was useless. She couldn't do anything.

Ayumu grabbed a knife she left in the cave for safety. She tried to run out, but Sarah quickly grabbed her and held her back. Ayumu struggled against her.

"Let me go!" Ayumu pleaded.

"You'll get yourself killed if you run out there." Sarah stated.

"But they're gonna kill her!" Ayumu said.

"Ayumu, you'll get yourself killed too." Dia stated, "You need to stay put."

"No! I'm not! I won't!" Ayumu got out of Sara's grip.

Ayumu ran out of the cave and into the camp. She sunk down to her knees and cradled Rina close. Rina was unconscious. Ayumu started sobbing. She was supposed to be protecting her and now she was most likely going to die.

"There you are."

Ayumu looked up as the guards tried to slice her with their knives as well. They didn't get to. Someone grabbed them and flipped them away. The guards growled. Karin was standing there. She glared at the guards.

One charged at her. Karin fought them with ease. No one knew, but she had been practicing fighting for a while now. She never knew when it might be needed. The second guard grabbed Ayumu. Ayumu screamed and fought against him, but she was too weak.

The guard let out a cry of pain. Yō had charged out and was biting his ankle. He dropped Ayumu. Yō let him go and placed herself in front of Ayumu. The guard didn't know what to do. There had been no training for fighting a wolf. He ran away. The other guard fled as well. Karin was beating him.

Karin looked Rina over. She was deathly pale. There didn't seem like there was much of a chance that she would make it. Ayumu sunk down to her knees beside Rina again. Yō looked back at where the three were still hiding. They came out.

"Let me see her." Nozomi stated.

She knelt down beside Rina. Nozomi was shocked by how badly she had been attacked. Nozomi placed her hands on Rina and tried her best to heal her. She couldn't heal her completely, but it was enough for the moment. Sarah wasn't sure if she should try and help.

"You're a witch?" Karin asked.

"Yes. Now, let's do this rescue immediately." Nozomi nodded to Ayumu, "You know where Mari is?"

"I do." Ayumu nodded, "But, she's probably very guarded right now."

"We have to do it now." Sarah stated.

"I think that other prisoner might be able to aid us." Karin stated.

"Yeah. Can you get her out?" Ayumu asked.

"I can try. I'll see if there's anyone left who's on our side." Karin said.

"Okay. I'll take you guys to Mari's cell." Ayumu said.

They went their separate ways. Nozomi took Rina back to their carriage they brought. She'd sit with her there and wait for them. Ayumu led them to the cell. As she had predicted, it was very guarded.

"How are we getting in?" Dia sighed.

"Need some help?" Someone asked.

They all jumped. Ai appeared from nowhere. She smiled at Ayumu. Ayumu smiled back. They had more help now. And a witch, no less.

"Who are you?" Dia asked.

"I'm Ai. I'm a witch that lives here. I've been recruited to aid in this by my old mentor." Ai explained, "Want me to get her for ya? I can easily get her without anyone seeing."

"Please."

Ai whispered some words no one could understand. Moments later, Mari appeared before them. She stared with wide eyes. She was very confused as to what had just happened.

"Hello. I just teleported you here. Don't freak out." Ai said.

The guards noticed and started searching. The rescue group ran back to the carriage. Ayumu stayed back. She needed to find Karin still. They promised they would wait for her and anyone who was on their side. Ayumu soon spotted Karin coming back with quite a few people. Emma was with them. Ayumu had worried she'd have to go and fetch her herself.

"Alright. What's going on?" Karin asked.

"Um… they got Mari already. They're waiting for us at their carriage." Ayumu explained.

"How'd they get her?" Setsuna asked.

"Ai helped us out." Ayumu said.

Setsuna nodded. She seemed impressed with what Ai had done.

"Um, who are you guys?" Ayumu turned to the new recruits.

"I'm Kasumi!" A girl with short grayish hair said.

"Shizuku." Another girl said.

"Kanata." A third girl said.

"We should get going before anyone sees us." Karin stated.

Ayumu nodded, "Right. Follow me."

Ayumu led the group to the carriage. Everyone else was there. Ai had healed Rina the rest of the way while they had been waiting. Ayumu introduced the new members of their group. After the introductions, they started going far away from the camp.

They would hang out in a safe spot for a while and then journey back to the castle. Yō sent Hanamaru a message, telling her that they had succeeded and recruited new members for the crown. Hanamaru wished them a safe return.


	38. Fighting Back

The group rested for an hour and then they started making their way back to the castle. They took turns resting in the back of the carriage. Rina was still unconscious. No one was sure when she would wake up. Ayumu stayed by her side the entire time.

When Ai had healed her, she also healed all the burn marks on her. Ayumu had taken off the mask Rina kept on her face and had thrown it into the forest. It wasn't needed any longer. Rina had no reason to hide her face from people.

They made it back to the castle under the night sky. Everyone was exhausted. Hanamaru was the one who greeted them when they returned. She was shocked to see nine new people. She had been expecting one or two. She wasn't going to complain, though. They needed all the help they could get.

"I'll show you guys to some of the spare rooms we have." Dia motioned the newest recruits her way.

They were split up into multiple rooms. Kasumi, Kanata, and Shizuku were placed together. Ai, Setsuna, and Emma were in another. Karin, Ayumu, and Rina were in the last one. Rina still hadn't woken up yet. Ayumu was worried about her.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Ayumu." Karin tried to reassure her, "She just needs time to rest. I'm sure by the morning she'll have woken up again."

"But what if she doesn't?" Ayumu challenged.

"Think positively." Karin replied, "She will wake up."

"This is all my fault… maybe I shouldn't have tried to do this…" Ayumu sighed.

"But, Ayumu. Look. We made it. We succeeded. I'm sure Rina will be just fine. And, it's her doing that she got hurt, as much as I hate to say it like that. She knew where you were. She didn't tell them despite the consequences." Karin said.

"I guess that's true…" Ayumu agreed.

"And, we have four witches here. I'm sure one of them can do something to help if she needs it." Karin said.

"Alright. I'll try to think positively then." Ayumu stated.

"Good. Now, get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring us." Karin gently ushered Ayumu to the bed with Rina.

"Okay. Night, Karin." Ayumu climbed into the bed.

"Goodnight, Ayumu." Karin replied as she climbed into the other bed.

**DIVIDER-- **

In the middle of the night, Ayumu stirred. She felt someone touching her. Ayumu opened her eyes to see Rina was awake. Rina was clinging to Ayumu as she tried to sleep. Ayumu smiled as she gently tapped Rina on her cheek. Rina looked up. She smiled when she saw it was Ayumu who had touched her.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" Ayumu whispered.

"I'm okay. What happened?" Rina asked.

"That witch I was telling you about healed you. Well, first it was a different witch." Ayumu said.

"My scars are gone?" Rina asked as she felt her face.

Ayumu nodded, "Yep. They're gone."

"Yay. I get to show my face again." Rina smiled.

"Get some rest. It's probably going to be a very busy day tomorrow." Ayumu said.

"Okay." Rina nodded and settled back down.

Ayumu went back to bed as well.

**DIVIDER-- **

When morning came, the nine girls were brought to the meeting room. They all knew they would be questioned. Everyone tried to appear brave, despite the fact they were all scared. No one knew what was going to happen.

"So, you all belong to the rebel camp?" Kanan asked.

"I don't." Ai stated, "I just live nearby the camp."

"I was taken as a prisoner. I don't belong to it either." Setsuna said.

"The rest of you do?" Kanan asked everyone else. They all nodded to her in response.

"So, you all are going to betray the rebels and join our side?" Mari asked, "This is going to be very dangerous for you."

"We all will betray them." Ayumu spoke for everyone.

"You know the consequences of being caught by them?" Mari questioned.

They all nodded. Almost all of them had witnessed what happens to those who betray the group. They all knew that could very well be their fate. They were all willing to risk it.

"Then we will slowly start calling you all to meet and discuss information we could use." Kanan said.

"So, you may go and explore as you please. Just don't leave the castle." Mari finished.

"Okay!"

"Ayumu, we'll start with you." Kanan motioned her over.

Ayumu walked over to her. Everyone else went off to explore. Ayumu nervously looked at Kanan and Mari. She didn't like being alone with just them. It made her feel a little scared. They had a lot of power over her.

"So, I take it you're the leader of this revolt?" Kanan asked her.

Ayumu nodded, "I guess I am."

"Well, it was very brave of you to do so." Mari commented.

"Um… will we be expected to fight?" Ayumu asked them nervously.

"Possibly. Though, it's not very likely." Kanan said.

"Okay…" Ayumu hoped it would stay not likely. She didn't want to have to fight. She didn't know how to fight.

"Obviously, if we needed you to fight, we'd give you training first. We wouldn't send you in unprepared." Mari said, sensing Ayumu's nervousness.

"What do you want to know? I'm not that well informed about the plans the rebels have." Ayumu asked.

"We just want a little basic information. Do you know what they do to prisoners?" Kanan asked, "I'm assuming there's more."

Ayumu nodded, "There are a lot more. Um… I'm not too sure about it, but I think they are used mainly as training tools. They let the newest recruits use the prisoners as punching bags to learn to fight."

"And do most prisoners get killed in that?" Mari questioned.

"No. Unless you've done something to really piss off the guard, you don't get killed. It's more for torture than anything." Ayumu replied.

"I see… do you know anything about their plans?" Mari asked.

Ayumu shook her head, "No. I don't know anything about that."

"Alright. That's all we wanted to know from you. You can go and explore." Kanan dismissed her.

"Okay. Do you want me to get the next person?" Ayumu asked.

"No. We'll get them when we're ready." Kanan replied.

Ayumu nodded and then left. She went searching for Rina. Ayumu found her in the library. She smiled and sat beside her on a couch. Rina looked up at her and smiled.

"How was it?" Rina asked.

"It was fine. They didn't question me that much." Ayumu replied.

"You wanna go explore together?" Rina asked.

Ayumu nodded, "Sure. Let's go do that."

**DIVIDER-- **

Ruby and Leah were almost back at the castle. They were nervous to return. They weren't sure how close they might come to the rebels as they came into the city. While they were traveling with their knights and the Star Kingdom's knights, they felt very weak and unprotected.

They were aware of how big this group could be by now. Their traveling party would be no match for them at all. It also didn't help that they were being followed by another carriage. That one containing weapons.

If the rebels caught wind of the carriage, they might try and attack. Ruby and Leah didn't know what they would do if that happened. They knew that if the rebels found them, that they would be taken. They were very valuable. And after losing Mari and those other girls, they needed someone new to hold as ransom.

Thankfully, they made it to the castle without any problems. The only people they saw were citizens who watched their return. They had hopeful looks in their eyes. Now that more support had arrived, they hoped it would help them win the battle. They needed all the help they could get as it was.

While the rebels didn't try anything too bold since the rescue, they were leaving messages about something big going to happen soon. No one knew what that might be. They guessed that might mean the rebels would try and raid the castle again. Everyone hoped that wouldn't happen. Even if they had more knights around now, they still were unprepared to handle that many people. Which is exactly why they were so worried. The rebels probably knew this. They knew they had a chance if they attacked the castle directly.

"Onee-chan?" Ruby tugged on Dia's arm.

"Yes?" Dia looked down at her.

"Do you think we'll win?"

"I'm sure we will. We've gotten a lot of help now." Dia said.

"I hope so…" Ruby whispered.

"I promise it will be okay." Dia reassured her.

"If they really are trying to attack the castle, who do you think they'll try and go for?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know…" Dia sighed.

"Dia. Can you come here?" Mari called Dia away.

Ruby sighed and went off to see everyone else. She ran into Kasumi. Kasumi nervously smiled at her.

"Um… what's your name?" Ruby asked.

"Kasumi."

"You're one of the rebels?" Ruby asked.

Kasumi nodded, "Yeah."

"Are you scared?"

"Yeah… if they find us… I can only imagine what they'll do…" Kasumi mumbled.

"Do you know how to fight?" Ruby asked.

"A little. We've been getting some training since they're worried about an attack." Kasumi said.

"Well, I have to do something. Have fun." Ruby left her after that.

She wanted to go and find where Leah had gotten to. She wanted to talk to her. Ruby found her and Sarah in their room. They were talking. Ruby didn't know what to do. She ended up eavesdropping on them.

"I'm just scared… what if words reaches them?" Sarah was talking.

"We can pass it off a rumor. As long as no one sees you use magic, they don't have any proof." Leah responded.

"Like that'll stop them? They'll still hate me."

Ruby knew she shouldn't be listening to this conversation. She couldn't bring herself to move, though. She wanted to know more.

"We'll change how magic is treated in the kingdom." Leah stated.

"It's over for me. There's no point in trying." Sarah sighed.

Ruby crept away. She didn't want to disturb them. She went off and found a quiet place to sit. She needed some time to figure out what she was going to do. She was scared. If they got attacked, how would she defend herself?

**DIVIDER-- **

"You need to stop. You can't push yourself."

"I'm not just gonna sit back."

"Kanan, you will NOT fight if we get attacked. You are in no state to do so."

Kanan and Hanamaru were in an argument. That was extremely rare. They never fought. But, now they were. Kanan was ready to fight, but Hanamaru wasn't letting her. Hanamaru didn't want Kanan fighting due to how far along in her pregnancy she was.

"What do you expect me to do then?" Kanan demanded.

"You will hide somewhere." Hanamaru stated.

"I don't want to. I want to help!" Kanan growled.

"You are not going to be able to stand a fight. Your movements are slow. You will get hurt if you try and fight." Hanamaru crossed her arms.

"We're still short staffed. I need to help." Kanan defended.

"Do not make me force you to stay out of the fighting. Cause I will." Hanamaru warned, "I know what's best for you right now, trust me. You will regret trying to fight. I'm sure anyone else would tell you the same thing."

"I… I don't want to be useless…" Kanan whispered, "I want to help."

"I know you do. But, the best help you can give is keeping yourself safe. One less person to worry about then." Hanamaru replied

"I'll try and stay away from the fighting… but no guarantees. If I have to fight, I will." Kanan said.

"I know. Only do it if you must. And be quick about it. You can probably get two blows in before you'd have to run. You won't last if someone returns the blows." Hanamaru stated.

"I understand…" Kanan mumbled.

They sat in silence for a while. The air around them was still tense from the fight.

"Maru… are you scared?" Kanan asked quietly after a few minutes.

"Yeah. I am. I'm scared of the unknown. We know very little about this group, even with all the info we've been given. We're at a really heavy disadvantage." Hanamaru whispered.

"I'm scared too… I don't want to die… or anyone else… but I can't get myself to believe no one I care about won't die…" Kanan said.

"That's why I want you to stay hidden. I don't want to lose you. Unfortunately, everyone else needs to fight. Well, I think. I actually don't know if everyone else is fighting. Ruby might not be. And there's a few ex-rebels that I don't think are going to be much help." Hanamaru said.

"Do we have any battle plans?" Kanan asked.

"Not that I'm really aware of. I just know that there's been talk of who would fight beside who." Hanamaru replied.

"Do you have a plan?"

"A little bit. I'll be sticking away from the fighting and just doing my best to heal anyone I can." Hanamaru said.

"What about the other witches. Do you know anything about them?" Kanan asked.

"Not really. I know that Nozomi will be in the infirmary tending to anyone brought there. I'm going to be the on-battle healer. I'm not sure about those two, though." Hanamaru replied.

"Something tells me they'll be doing the fighting instead of healing." Kanan said.

"I have to agree with you. I think they'll be doing that as well. I get a weird feeling about them. They've killed before. And not too long ago." Hanamaru said in a quiet whisper.

"You can feel that? Does that mean anything?" Kanan questioned.

"Sometimes. If they've killed a lot of people in a short time frame, then that would mean they're users of black magic. But, I don't think they are. So, I guess it doesn't mean too much. As long as they don't use their magic to kill in this battle, it should be fine." Hanamaru replied.

"Maru, where exactly do you want me to hide?"

"I have to think it over a bit."

"Let's hope we have enough time to."


	39. Tough Decisions

**Warning: there's a death that may be consjdered senstive to some people. Proceed with caution.**

They didn't have a lot of time to prepare. The battle against the rebels didn't take too long to start again. They had gotten into the castle in bulk. There were a lot of rebels fighting. Everyone was struggling to keep up. Thankfully, most of the knights stationed outside of the main city could easily be called back in to aid.

This was probably the battle that would decide it all. Whoever came out victorious would be the winner. With how many rebels they sent, they would be incapacitated if they lost that many. And if the castle was taken over, that meant all of them were dead.

Almost everyone was fighting. Ruby was not fighting. She was with Nozomi in the infirmary. Dia had refused to allow Ruby to fight. She knew Ruby wouldn't be able to handle a full grown adult. No one argued with her. They all felt the same way. Ruby was fine with helping Nozomi heal the injured. She was glad she didn't have to try and fight.

Ruby was in charge of distracting the injured as Nozomi did her best to keep them alive. Some required getting their limbs amputated. That was not fun. Especially when they didn't have anything to knock them out or numb the pain. Ruby hated this job, but she rathered it than fighting.

Hanamaru was fighting at times. She was forced to in order to heal. It was tough. Thankfully, Mari and Karin were with her. They both decided to aid her. Hanamaru needed to keep her strength up so she could heal. She had improved her magic capacity, but that wouldn't do much if she was too exhausted to move.

Mari had been beside her since the beginning. Hanamaru was grateful to have someone with her. She didn't want to be alone. Karin ended up joining them after they helped her fend off some rebels. Hanamaru was very thankful they'd help her out instead of just fighting. She definitely needed all the help she could get.

Rina was trying to stay out of the fighting. She was scared. She wasn't very good at fighting. She was the worst one in the training. Ayumu was right with her. She wasn't leaving her alone. Ayumu would do everything she could to keep Rina safe from harm. She couldn't bear to see her so injured again. Especially now that there was a big chance she could die this time.

Rina spent the entire time cowering away. Ayumu did her best to find safe places for her to hide. She needed to help fight, but she wasn't leaving Rina alone. Ayumu did consider sending her to help Nozomi, but she didn't know if Rina would want to leave her side. Ayumu was stuck with her no matter what.

Yō was standing guard by the infirmary. She made sure no one got in that wasn't allowed to. Chika was hanging with her. She wasn't going to cross over until this battle was finished. She knew she could be useful. She had already proven that. Chika had scared one of the knights away by appearing from nowhere and being very aggressive. Her job was to scout out all the scents Yō smelled to see if they were friend or foe.

Being able to turn invisible definitely had its perks. She could easily see who it was and they would never know. The rebels would know when Yō suddenly charged at them. Yō was covered in blood. She hated it, but there was nothing she could do. She needed to defend the injured. They couldn't risk anyone getting in. Mainly because of the fact that Ruby was in there. They needed to keep her safe from harm.

Ai was fighting by herself. She was holding her own very well. She was using her magic to hurt the knights and then using a sword to finish them off. She knew better than to try and kill them with magic. She could probably do maybe three like that before she got corrupted by it. Ai didn't want to have to do that unless necessary. As long as she didn't get overwhelmed, she was fine without using those spells. If she got too overwhelmed, she would have to. There was no other option except to die.

Setsuna was aiding Kasumi and Shizuku in fighting. The three of them were doing very well. They made sure no one got past them. Despite their differences in strengths, they were working well as a team.

Emma and Kanata were working together as well. They were picking off solo knights. Kanata would pretend to be injured and the knight would try to kill her. Emma would jump out from a hiding spot and kill them. Their plan was working very well for them. They had killed a good amount of knights just like that.

Sarah and Leah were fighting side-by-side. They were both using swords. Sarah was too afraid to use her magic to do anything at the moment. She was scared she'd do something wrong. But, she was prepared to use it if she had to. She'd do anything to keep Leah safe. That meant she'd use her magic. The thing she despises so much.

Dia was hiding with Rika. She knew she had to stay out of the fighting to keep her safe. Dia wasn't letting anyone else keep her. She wanted to keep her. Rika was silent as always, which proved useful for once. As long as she didn't start crying, no one should be able to find them. That's what Dia thought, at least.

Someone did find them, though. A rebel, nonetheless. Dia gulped as she pulled Rika tightly against her. She held her close as she reached for her sword. The rebel struck first. He ran at Dia and punched her in the face. That distracted her enough for him to take Rika.

Dia growled and went to slice the sword at him. He was quicker. He kicked Dia hard in the stomach and sent her crashing into a wall. Dia groaned in pain as she fell onto her hands and knees. For good measure, the rebel also kicked her on the head to make sure she'd be down for a bit.

Dia fell over and was unable to get up fast enough. The rebel ran out of the room with Rika screaming and crying. Dia struggled to get a grip on the floor so she could stand again. She was panicking severely. Rika was in danger. Dia knew she had to act fast.

Unfortunately, the rebel was very sure about what he was doing. Dia remained on the floor for a few minutes. She couldn't get up. Eventually she managed to sit up. She vomited from the pain she was in. Dia groaned as she forced herself to her feet. She was shaky and uneven.

That didn't matter to her. Rika was in trouble. Dia ran out of the room and down the hall. Thankfully there was only one way to go. Dia could hear Rika crying as she got closer. That made her worry even more. She picked up her pace and ran as fast as she could.

Dia came to an open room. The rebel was standing there with Rika in his arms. Rika saw Dia and started crying louder and grabbing for her. Dia went to run forward, but the rebel held out his hand, causing her to stop.

"Uh uh uh." The rebel said.

Another rebel came out from the shadows. He was also holding someone. That someone was Kanan. She was unconscious. Dia gulped. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know how she could save them both.

"Choose one. The other will die." The rebel holding Rika said.

Dia froze up. Choose one? She couldn't save them both then. Whoever she ran to first would live and then the other would die before she could do anything about it. Dia looked between the two of them. She didn't know what to do. Her heart was screaming at her to save Rika, but her mind was telling her that she needed to save Kanan. Dia didn't know what she was going to do.

Dia looked at Rika. She was still grabbing for her as she screamed. Then Dia looked over at Kanan. She was held limply in the rebel's arms. It was obvious she had taken quite a beating before this. Kanan was covered in blood and bruises.

Tears started streaming down Dia's face as she made up her mind. She ran over to Kanan. The rebel simply dropped her and let Dia catch her. He didn't care at all. Dia held Kanan close. She couldn't bear to look at the rebel with Rika. The next thing she knew, she heard a loud snap and the crying stopped. Then a thud followed it. Dia looked over. The rebel had snapped Rika's neck and then carelessly tossed her to the ground.

"Hope you're happy with your choice." The rebels both mocked before they ran off.

Dia sunk to the ground. She felt horrible. Her heart was completely broken. But, deep down, she knew she would've felt this way no matter who she chose. The guilt of not saving the other would've followed her no matter what.

Dia had chosen Kanan because she knew it would be better for everyone. Two lives were better than one. Dia used that to reason why she chose Kanan. To try to heal her heart. She failed Rika. She failed to save her. It hurt so bad.

Kanan groaned. She was finally waking up. Dia looked down at her. Kanan was mainly lying on her lap.

"Dia?" Kanan asked in a hoarse voice.

Dia nodded. She couldn't find a voice to speak with. Kanan sat up. She looked around the room. She froze when she saw Rika.

Kanan turned to face Dia, "Dia-"

Dia launched herself into Kanan's chest and started sobbing. Kanan pulled her close and held her in a tight hug.

"There were two rebels… they had you and Ri… they said I could only save one…" Dia sobbed out.

"I'm so sorry… I can't imagine how you feel…" Kanan whispered, "But, we need to get somewhere safe."

Dia nodded. Kanan stood up and held out a hand to Dia. Dia grabbed it and let Kanan pull her to her feet. Dia glanced at Rika before she and Kanan started leaving the room. They needed to get somewhere away from the action.

As they were walking, two rebels appeared. Kanan grabbed a sword from nearby. She was ready to fight. The rebels ran at them. Just as Kanan was about to charge, Dia ran in front of her. She grabbed another sword from close by and faced the rebels. She fatally sliced them open with one blow each.

"What are you doing? You're in no-"

"You can't fight, Kanan. Not in your state. I can manage. There will be time to grieve later. Now, let's go." Dia cut her off.

Kanan sighed and nodded. They continued on their search for a safe room. They soon found one. It was a hidden closet. It wasn't very big, but it would do. They locked themselves in and barricaded the door. They couldn't risk anyone coming in.

They sat down on the floor. Dia felt completely empty inside. She was trying her best to push her emotions away. She needed to stay strong and alert. She had to keep Kanan safe now. Kanan couldn't really defend herself. She needed help.

"Dia… are you really okay?" Kanan asked.

"No… but, I'll be fine for now." Dia said.

"Thank you…"

"What are you thanking me for?" Dia asked.

"For saving me… both of those times…" Kanan mumbled.

"I guess I should thank you as well. You were willing to risk your life back there."

"Well… I didn't know if you'd even react." Kanan defended, "How was I supposed to know you weren't just spacing out and not paying attention."

"I guess that's true." Dia agreed.

They fell into silence for a while. There wasn't any fighting going on near them. They were alone in the dark with no noise. There was barely any light in the room. Neither was willing to risk lighting a candle. They didn't want to have someone smell the smoke and figure out they were here.

Dia ended up crying a few times. She was trying to hold on, but it was hard. Kanan did her best to comfort her. She knew it was not going to be easy. Kanan wanted to say it was her fault, but she didn't want to do that. She felt that would make Dia feel worse. Kanan did feel it was her fault, though. She had gotten caught. She had been careless.

"Um… Dia?" Kanan suddenly spoke.

"What is it?" Dia asked.

"I… I think I'm…" Kanan didn't need to finish, her action of gripping her stomach in pain was enough to tell Dia what was happening.

"Fuck!"


	40. Death and Despair

No one knew what was going on with Kanan and Dia. Everyone just assumed they were both safe. They also assumed that Rika was still alive. They weren't going to find out the truth quite yet.

The battle was still raging in the other parts of the castle. There were a lot of dead. Both sides suffered a lot. There was only one thing they all knew. Retreat was not an option. Both sides wouldn't run away. They'd fight until there was no one left. That was how it would be.

The infirmary had been completely overtaken by injured. Some of the injured had died as well. Their bodies were stacked up in a corner. It was not a pleasant sight. Ruby had abandoned helping Nozomi. She couldn't handle it any more of it. Chika was relieved from helping Yō to stay and try to keep Ruby calm.

Ruby was not in a good condition. She felt sick. She felt ready to pass out. She had been working so hard. And the injured kept coming. Ruby couldn't handle the sight of any more wounds. They were making her want to vomit. Ruby didn't know if she could keep her bile down if she saw any other wounds.

Things weren't going in Kanan's favor. She couldn't reach Hanamaru for assistance. She also wasn't able to contact Yō. She tried, but it was no use. She was going to be alone. Only Dia was going to help her now. That wasn't good. They both knew that.

Hanamaru couldn't be reached because she was down. She had reached her limit and collapsed. She was currently being kept in a spare room. Mari and Karin were still with her. They were guarding her. They knew they wouldn't be able to reach the infirmary from their current location. They'd get caught up in more fighting. They couldn't risk that at the moment.

Most of the groups were doing well. They were holding out. A few had had to fall back, but they were quickly getting back into the fray. Everyone was starting to get tired. Both sides were slowly weakening. The victor of each battle depended now on who was more alert and agile. Skill was less important now that fatigue was starting to set in.

One group that wasn't doing so hot was Ayumu and Rina. They were cornered by three rebels. The rebels had Rina. Ayumu was on the ground. She had been struck down by blunt objects. They wanted her to watch as they hurt Rina. It was some of the same people who hurt her the first time.

Rina was shaking in fear as they eyed her up. She was unsure what to do. She didn't know if she could run. They would probably catch up to her easily if she tried. That wasn't something she wanted. She knew that would cause her pain to be worse when they got her again.

"Shall we finish what we started before?" One of the rebels asked as he showed off his sword.

Rina yelped in terror. The rebels started closing in on her. Ayumu growled and forced herself to her feet. She was dizzy and very off balance, but that wasn't going to stop her. She needed to protect Rina. She couldn't fail her again.

"Leave her alone!" Ayumu yelled as she roughly shoved a rebel.

Ayumu grabbed the weapon and yanked it out of his hand. She turned it on the other two rebels. They both readied their weapons. The three of them were going to fight.

"Run, Rina." Ayumu stated.

Rina didn't need to be told twice. She booked it out of the room and started trying to find someone she knew. She needed someone to protect her still. There was no way she would be able to handle herself in the battle without any help.

"You really think you can take us down?" One of the Rebels scoffed at Ayumu.

"Even if I can't. Rina is safe now. You can't get her." Ayumu replied.

"You know you're going to die, right?" The other armed rebel said as he rammed his sword through Ayumu's chest.

"I know… but at least I kept my promise to Rina…" Ayumu mumbled, before she fell to the ground. She died within a few seconds.

Rina was running for her life. A rebel had spotted her and was chasing after her. Rina was scared. She didn't know if she could make it somewhere safe. She wondered if she would die.

Rina was lost as well. She had no idea where she was. She cursed herself for not exploring the castle better. Now she had no idea where she was. She hoped the rebel had no idea where he was either. That would help her a little bit.

Rina ended up running into a dead end. She was shaking in fear as the rebel got closer. Rina knew she would die here if something didn't happen soon. But, there was nothing she could do herself. She had to pray that someone on her side would save her.

She didn't have much faith. They were in a pretty desolate area of the kingdom. There wasn't anyone else around. Even if Rina screamed, the fighting from the others would drown her out. She was pretty doomed at this point.

The rebel moved closer. Rina gulped. She was shaking in fear. The rebel was almost upon her. It wouldn't be too long before they struck at her. Rina had nothing to defend herself with. She wished she would've grabbed a discarded weapon as she ran. It would've been helpful now.

"Too bad you have to die. You would've been a good addition to our group." The rebel growled.

"The only one dying here is you."

The rebel cried out in pain as a sword was rammed through their stomach and drug down. The moment the sword was removed, the rebel fell to the ground. They were dead.

Rina looked at who had saved her. It was Ai. She ran over to Rina and started dragging her away. Rina didn't complain and ran after her. Ai and her took shelter in a small room. Rina was shaking in fear. She had almost died a second time.

"Are you okay? Where's your sister?" Ai asked her.

"I-I'm fine… Ayumu was fighting some rebels. She told me to run…" Rina whispered.

"I'll keep you safe for now. I promise." Ai said.

"What are we going to do?" Rina asked.

Ai shrugged, "I'm not sure. It really depends. Who knows what all is going on."

"Are you going to fight?" Rina questioned.

Ai nodded, "Yeah. I need to. You just stay close to me. I can fight and keep you safe at the same time. Don't worry."

"Okay. Thank you." Rina said.

The two of them stayed hidden for a little bit. Once Rina had collected herself, they went back out. Rina stuck close to Ai as they made their way through the castle. Ai was planning to try and get Rina to the infirmary. That was hopefully the best place for her.

**DIVIDER-- **

Those two weren't the only ones that had problems, though. Sarah and Leah were surrounded. Things were not going in their favor. Both of them were getting tired. It was hard to keep fighting so many.

Sarah was taking on three rebels at the same time. Leah had two. They were outnumbered. The rebels had an advantage. They were fresh. They had more energy.

Leah let out a cry of pain. She had been hit. A sword had made its way through her arm. She fell to the ground and clutched her arm tightly. There was a lot of blood.

"Leah!" Sarah quickly positioned herself in front of her.

"You should've run while you had the chance." One of the rebels laughed.

Sarah growled. She was frantically trying to watch all of them. It was hard to do. She wasn't letting them hurt Leah anymore than they already had. Sarah couldn't allow it. She had to protect her. It was her duty as her older sister.

The five rebels starting closing in. Sarah knew there was only one thing she could do. Only one thing that would make sure she won. Sarah took a deep breath and tried to gather as much magic as she could. She knew this wasn't good. Killing this many would be bad. But, she had no choice. It was for Leah.

Leah had managed to move away and towards the back of the room. She knew she'd be useless at the moment. She watched Sarah with worry. She didn't know how she would manage all five at once.

Sarah felt she had enough magic to work with. She eyed up all the rebels. She took a deep breath and let her magic go. It hit all of them at once. Most died on impact. One died a few moments after. Sarah was barely able to stand. She had used a lot of magic.

Leah was staring at her in shock. She didn't know that Sarah was capable of doing that. Leah never really knew the full extent of her magic.

Sarah was panting. She couldn't see straight. She guessed she had really overdone it. But, she felt it had been worth it. Leah was safe now. All they had to do was get her some help. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be the plan for long.

Sarah suddenly cried out in pain. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Sparks of magic were coming off of her. Leah watched in terror. She had no clue what was happening. And she could do nothing to stop it.

A big flash of light overcame the room. Leah couldn't see anything anymore. But, she could hear. Sarah's screams grew louder, and then they suddenly fell quiet. Leah didn't know what that might mean, but she could tell it wasn't good.

The light slowly started fading away. Leah desperately searched for where Sarah was. She was worried now. It was too quiet in the room.

"Nee-sama?" Leah called.

She got no reply. Leah wished the light would go away faster. She needed to see the room. She needed to see what had happened to Sarah. Leah felt something bad had happened to her. She didn't like the thought of that. It wasn't a good thought.

Leah forced herself to her feet. She was in a lot of pain. Her arm was still bleeding heavily. Leah ripped off a piece of her outfit and pressed it against her arm. It would have to do until she could get proper attention.

The light finally faded in the room. It gave way to a sight that Leah did not want to see. Sarah was on the ground now. Her body was limp. Her expression was frozen in one of pain. She was dead. She had used too much magic at once and died.

"Nee-sama!" Leah cried as she ran to her side.

She fell to her knees, sobbing in despair. Leah hugged Sarah as she pleaded for her to be alive. She was lost. She didn't know what to do without her. Leah's sobbing was heard from nearby.

Setsuna found her. She had split off from Kasumi and Shizuku to chase after some rebels. Leah didn't notice her walk up. She was too focused on her grief.

"Hey… I know it's hard, but if you don't quiet, you might attract some more rebels here." Setsuna calmly spoke to her.

"B-but… n-nee-sama…" Leah whimpered.

"I know…" Setsuna pulled her into a hug, "I know you're in pain. It's hard to lose someone you love. But, you also need to protect yourself. Let's get somewhere safe and I'll patch up your arm, okay?"

Leah wanted to fight back, but she was starting to get light headed from the blood loss. She knew she needed help soon or she might also die. Setsuna helped her to her feet and aided her in walking. They found a small area that was dark. They hid there.

"Let me see your arm." Setsuna requested.

Leah held up her arm the best she could. She was starting to feel drowsy from the loss of blood. Setsuna helped her hold it up. She started whispering something in a foreign language. Leah's wound closed.

"Do you think you could make it to the infirmary?" Setsuna asked.

Leah didn't reply. She didn't hear her. She rested her body against Setsuna's as her vision started fading.

"I suppose that's a no then." Setsuna said to herself.

She pulled Leah closer. It wasn't long after that that Leah had passed out. Even if her wound had been healed, it wouldn't restore her blood. That would take a while to happen. Setsuna kept a careful eye on her surroundings. She didn't doubt she could handle a rebel, but more than one could cause problems.

If she was distracted, no one would be able to keep Leah safe. Setsuna sighed. She knew this was still going to be a long war. This battle might be the end, but that didn't mean it wouldn't take a while to happen.

"Maybe… maybe I could reach her…" Setsuna whispered to herself.

She wanted to try and get Leah somewhere safer if she could. But, she couldn't do it alone. She needed help. She needed someone who could fight on her behalf. She'd be too weighed down by Leah to fight.


	41. A New Life

Things were not going very well for Kanan and Dia. Neither knew what they were doing. It also wasn't helping that Kanan was being very loud. Someone had heard them before. They left after not being able to get in, but that meant others might try again.

Unfortunately, it wasn't like they could do anything about it. Kanan needed to breathe, so gagging her wouldn't work. They'd just have to deal with it and hope their barricade held up. If not, they would definitely be killed. They didn't stand a chance against a rebel at the moment.

A glow started coming from a corner of the room. Kanan was in too much pain to notice it, but Dia certainly did. She warily watched the light, unsure what it meant. It wasn't coming from an outside source, that much she knew. It was coming from in the room.

A few seconds passed and the glowing vanished. In its place, someone stood. It took a minute for Dia to recognize who it was. The room was extremely dark, so it was hard to make them out.

"Yohane?"

"Yeah. Don't ask, but I'm here. I'll help you guys. You definitely need it." Yohane nodded and walked over to them.

"Thank you…"

**DIVIDER-- **

Ai was almost at the infirmary. Rina was still clinging to her in fear as they walked. They had fought quite a few rebels as they made their way. Rina was shaking in fear. It was all too much for her. She hated this. She just wanted Ayumu. Rina wasn't aware that Ayumu was dead. She still thought she was alive.

"Okay. It's just down here. I'm going to leave you at the infirmary. You'll be safe there." Ai spoke calmly to Rina.

"O-okay…" Rina nodded.

Yō appeared. She had come to investigate the scents. She relaxed when she saw who they were.

"Can you take her to the infirmary? I still need to fight." Ai nudged Rina toward Yō.

Yō nodded and nudged Rina toward the infirmary. Ran walked with her. Ai turned around and was ready to head back to the battle. She suddenly felt someone connect to her. It wasn't painful like a connection normally would be. Ai assumed that meant whoever was connecting to her magic was on her side.

The connection started pulling her in a direction. Ai followed it to see where it was taking her. She couldn't tell who the magic belonged to. Ai just hoped they were indeed on her side and it wasn't a trap. Ai was led to a hallway. It was pretty dark.

"Hello?" Ai called.

"Ai. Come here. I need your help." Setsuna's voice came out of the darkness.

Ai hurried into the darkness. She stood in front of them and looked at them. Ai was studying Leah, trying to see what was wrong with her. She assumed that was the issue.

"I healed her already. Got a sword to her arm. Passed out from the blood loss. Her sister's dead. She used too much magic." Setsuna explained, "I'd like to get her somewhere safer, but I can't fight and carry her at the same time."

"Of course. You want me to fight or you want me to carry her?" Ai asked.

"Are you still up to fight some more?" Setsuna asked her.

"I'm fine to fight more. I actually had just finished taking someone to the infirmary." Ai explained.

"Alright. We can try and go there too. I think it's for the best she doesn't fight anymore. The battle should hopefully soon be over." Setsuna said.

"Are we winning or losing?" Ai asked.

"I can't really tell. I hope we're winning, though." Setsuna replied as she stood up.

She picked Leah up and made sure she had a good grip on her. There was no telling whether or not they'd have to run at some point. Setsuna just hoped she would be able to carry her for that long.

"Ready?" Ai asked.

Setsuna nodded, "Ready."

The two of them set off to try and make it to the infirmary. It was going to be a difficult task. There were still rebels in the halls that they took. Ai had a lot of fighting to do. Setsuna would help as much as she could. She'd use her magic to distract the rebels so Ai could kill them easier.

**DIVIDER-- **

So, where are Sarah and Ayumu at? They weren't able to cross over. Both were still too worried about their siblings to leave. But, neither was having any luck finding them.

Ayumu was lost. She had no clue where she was. She sighed and looked around. There were some people fighting there. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could even do to help them. If she couldn't find Rina, at least she could try and be useful to other people.

Ayumu figured out she could pick things up. She smirked and yanked a sword out of a rebel's hand. The rebel cried out in fear as Ayumu threw the sword across the room. She might not be able to show herself, but perhaps that made this all the more fun. No one knew what was going on, but the knights fighting seemed to understand that the unknown force, Ayumu, was on their team. Even if they didn't know who it was.

Ayumu would travel between groups as she continued searching for Rina. She'd take some time to aid the knights in fighting. Since she no longer had energy that could deplete, nothing was going to drain her as she fought. Some rebels fought back against her pull. But, since they were tired, Ayumu always won in the end. None of the rebels stood a chance against her.

Sarah, on the other hand, was ignoring everyone. She only cared to find Leah. She didn't care to aid anyone. Leah was her only priority. Sarah was having issues finding her. She tried to figure out where she might be. Sarah thought about her possibly being in the infirmary, but she hadn't been there when Sarah had checked.

Ai and Setsuna had not gotten her there quite yet. They were almost there. They didn't have too many problems reaching the infirmary. They left Leah there to rest and went back to fighting again. They worked together.

Hanamaru had gotten her energy back. She was still too weak to do anything, but she was awake. Karin had left them to go aid someone. It was just Mari and Hanamaru together in the room.

A while later, a victory cry went up. The rebels had been defeated. They had won. Everyone was relieved. The castle was a complete mess, though. They had a lot to clean up now. But, it was worth it. They had won. They had taken back control.

"Looks like it's over."

"That's good. You should probably go and get Maru."

"I'll try." Dia said.

She shakily pushed herself to her feet. Only a few minutes ago they had finished with Kanan. Yohane was holding her child. It still felt so weird to know that it was Riko. Kanan was passed out against the wall. She had barely stayed conscious through the birth.

Dia left the room and went searching to see who she could find. As she walked, it set in that she'd have to tell everyone Rika was dead. She felt a pain in her heart as she thought about it. Kanan had distracted her for a bit, but now the memories were back.

Unfortunately, Dia had to walk past that room to find Hanamaru. She tried not to look, but it was no use. Once she saw her again, she broke. Dia fell to her knees and started crying. It was all playing in her head again. She had failed. Everyone had been right. She wasn't ready to be a mother.

"Dia!?"

Arms wrapped around her suddenly. Mari had found her. Dia clung to her and sobbed.

"What's wrong?" Mari asked.

"Ri…"

"What happened?"

Dia just pointed to the room. Mari looked over. She went stiff when she saw. Her grip tightened on Dia significantly.

"I… I'm looking for Maru…" Dia had to do her task still.

"What do you need me for?"

Dia looked up. Hanamaru was beside her. She placed a hand on Dia's shoulder.

"Kanan needs you." Dia said.

"Alright. Where is she?"

Dia forced herself to her feet. She led the two of them back to the room. Neither had been expecting to see what they saw.

"Okay. What's going on here?" Hanamaru asked.

"Well, I think you can tell." Yohane replied as she nodded to the reincarnation of Riko, "I just came to help out."

Hanamaru knelt beside Kanan and examined her, "She okay?"

"Yeah. Just took a lot out of her." Yohane nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing you two ran into each other then." Mari said.

"Yeah…" Dia didn't want to go into detail about their meeting, "I don't want to think about how this could've ended."

"Mari, bring her to her room. She just needs to rest. Let me take… Riko. I just want to do some simple checks on her." Hanamaru ordered, "Dia, I think it's best you rest as well. You've been through a lot too."

"I'm going to see Ruby first. Then I'll rest." Dia replied.

"No. You will rest now. I can see how unsteady you are. You won't make it to the infirmary in your condition." Hanamaru growled.

"Fine…" Dia knew better than to argue against her when she used that tone.

"I can't stay for much longer. So, I guess I'll take my leave now." Yohane said.

"Thanks for your help." Dia said.

"It's nothing. Glad I could help." Yohane smiled and then she faded away.

"Now, off with you." Hanamaru ushered them to the door.

Mari carefully picked up Kanan. They left. Dia glanced at Hanamaru one last time, before she followed after them.

"You doing okay?" Mari asked.

"No…" Dia mumbled.

"Do you want me to send Ruby to your room after this?" Mari asked.

"Yeah… thanks…"

"It's nothing."

Mari left Kanan in her room and then helped Dia to her room. Once Dia was safely on her bed, Mari went to go and fetch Ruby. She found her hiding in the far corners of the infirmary. Yō was curled up beside her.

"Hey, Ruby. How was it?" Mari greeted her.

"I don't wanna be here any longer…" Ruby whispered.

"Well, I'm here to take you. We're gonna go to Dia's room, okay? Dia is there already." Mari said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"Okay…" Ruby stood up.

Mari held out a hand. Ruby took it. The two of them left with Chika. Yō stayed back. She wasn't sure if she was still needed. She was.

"Yō? Right?" Rina called out to her.

"Yep. That's my name." Yō nodded and trotted over to her.

"U-um… could you find Ayumu?" Rina asked in a nervous tone.

"I can try." Yō replied.

"Why don't you go with her? It's safe now." Nozomi suggested, "I'll be fine by myself."

"Okay…" Rina agreed.

She stood up and let Yō lead the way. Yō was doing her best to figure out what scent belonged to what. Rina was sticking close to her side. She was scared. Even if they had won, seeing all the dead bodies wasn't fun.

**DIVIDER-- **

"Where am I?"

"In the infirmary."

Leah blinked open her eyes. She groaned in pain as she sat up. Her entire body ached. She looked around. The sight made her want to throw up. A cold cloth was pressed to her forehead. Nozomi had come to check her out.

"Is the war over?" Leah asked.

"Yeah. We won." Nozomi nodded.

"At what cost?" Leah looked down at the bed.

"By agreeing to fight, you were saying you were willing to die." Nozomi replied, "Though, they'll be remembered. I'm sure we'll arrange a burial soon."

"Nee-sama is… gone…"

"I know. So, you have to live on for her. She saved you. Don't throw that away." Nozomi said as she removed the cloth.

"I can't take over a kingdom… I'm not good enough…"

"Then you'll need a very good advisor. That's all."

"Can I get up?" Leah asked.

"Sure. Just take it slow." Nozomi nodded.

Leah carefully stood up. She was a little unsteady, so Nozomi held one arm for support. Leah kept her gaze down. She didn't want to see the bodies.

"I can walk you to your room. If you'd like to rest there instead." Nozomi offered.

"No need. I can take her."

Ai entered the room, "Just came to check on her. Setsuna was healing some people around the place. Not sure where she is now."

"Alright then. Not sure what I'm supposed to do about all these dead ones." Nozomi sighed, "There's too many in here."

"No idea. Any alive ones in here still?" Ai asked as she walked over to them.

"No. They've all gotten up already. She was the last one. Ruby went to her room with Mari and Yō took Rina to find Ayumu." Nozomi said.

"I see. Well, I'll take ya to your room." Ai smiled at Leah.

"Okay." Leah mumbled in agreement.

**DIVIDER-- **

"I'm sorry, Rina. It's so hard to track any scents with all this blood around." Yō apologized.

"It's okay. It's my fault too for not remembering where we were." Rina replied.

"Hey! Rina!" Someone called out.

"Oh. Karin. Hi." Rina greeted them.

"Whatcha doing?" Karin asked.

"Trying to find Ayumu." Rina explained.

"Got separated?" Karin guessed.

"Yeah. It's so hard to track anyone… my nose can only pick up blood. I can't smell anything else right now. It sucks." Yō whined.

"I can help you look." Karin offered.

"Thanks."

Unfortunately, what they found wasn't what they wanted. After Rina had ran away, Ayumu had been stabbed. But, the rebels also continued to stab her even after she was dead. Her body was barely recognizable. Her hair color was what told them who it was.

"Ayumu!" Rina cried out.

She ran over to her and fell to her knees. She started sobbing. Karin knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Yō whined as she nuzzled her head into Rina's cheek.

"Why… why did she have to die?" Rina sobbed.

"She died to protect you." Yō replied.

"I… I want her back…"

"I know, sweetie… I know…" Karin whispered as she pulled Rina into a tight hug.

Ayumu was there with them. Unfortunately, she still couldn't figure out how to make herself visible. She wished she could hug Rina and tell her it would be alright. It hurt so much to see her cry.

"Why don't we go to our room? You could use some rest. I'll wake you when we bury her, okay?" Karin said.

"I don't wanna leave her!" Rina protested.

"You have to. I'm so sorry." Karin replied.

Ayumu sighed as she watched them. She felt tears falling down her face. She wished she could figure out how to show herself. If she could just say anything to her, maybe it would be better?

Karin eventually convinced Rina to get up. She walked her to their room. Yō stayed with them. She felt bad for Rina. It was obvious that she was really hurting inside. Rina laid down on her bed. She curled to her side and started sobbing again.

Yō jumped up on the bed with her. She managed to snuggle herself up to Rina. Rina hugged her tightly and kept crying. Karin sighed and sat on the bed. This was tough for them all.

**DIVIDER-- **

Mari dropped Ruby off with Dia. She went to go check on Kanan after that. Kanan was still out. Mari ran a hand through her hair. A knock sounded on the door. Hanamaru came in with Riko in her arms.

"How is she?" Hanamaru asked.

"Dunno. She hasn't woken up yet." Mari replied, "How's she?"

"Nothing's wrong." Hanamaru replied, "You can take her for now. I have to heal some people."

"Don't overwork yourself, please." Mari said.

"Don't worry. All of the other witches are healing people too. It won't be that bad." Hanamaru reassured her.

"Okay."

Hanamaru left. Mari glanced down at Riko. It still felt so weird to know it was her. Mari sighed. This wasn't a good time for her to be born. Thankfully, nothing bad had happened.

"Mari?"

Mari looked over. Kanan had woken up. Mari smiled at her.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm okay. What's going on?" Kanan sat up.

"The battle's over. We won." Mari replied, "And, here she is."

Mari held out Riko. Kanan hesitantly took her. It was strange.

"I'm worried about Dia…" Mari mumbled.

"Cause of what happened to Ri?" Kanan guessed.

Mari nodded, "Yeah."

"Perhaps, letting her take care of Riko would be better?" Kanan suggested.

"No. I'm sure that'll be worse. I can tell she's doubting herself. I think she'd be worried that she'd not be good enough for Riko." Mari stated.

"I see…"

**DIVIDER-- **

"Onee-chan?" Ruby hesitantly entered the room.

"Hey." Dia's voice was void of emotion.

Ruby stared at Dia. She looked a mess, to say the least. Ruby walked over to her and sat down on the bed. Dia barely acknowledged her.

"How are you?" Ruby asked.

Mari had told her everything while they were walking. Ruby knew why she was acting how she was.

Dia didn't reply to her. Ruby glanced back at the door. Chika was sitting there. She didn't know if she should come in.

"Maybe you should take a nap?" Ruby suggested.

"No."

"Onee-chan… come on. You need to do something other than just sit there."

"Leave me alone." Dia didn't really care about seeing Ruby now.

"Please?" Ruby pleaded.

"I just want to be alone for now."

"I'm not leaving." Ruby stated, "You need someone."

Dia said nothing in reply. She laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Ruby frowned.

"I know it's hard." Ruby whispered.

"Leave me alone." Dia repeated.

Ruby laid down beside Dia instead. Dia sighed and turned away from her.

"You're not the only one suffering."

"I know. But… it's hard. Now, please leave me alone."

"I'm not leaving." Ruby stated firmly.

"Stop talking to me. I want to be alone in silence." Dia grumbled.

Ruby sighed. This was not how she expected this conversation to go. She was expecting Dia to at least be happy to have her there. Instead, she just wanted to be left alone.

Chika entered the room. She jumped up on the bed and sat down. She was sitting in front of Ruby. Ruby glanced at her with a sad expression. Chika gave her the same expression back.

Things might've calmed down, but the wounds were still strong and painful. It would take a lot for everyone to heal.


	42. Trying to Heal

The next day, they had the mass burial for all the fallen. The knights were buried together in a mass grave. Sarah, Ayumu, and Rika were all buried separately. They were buried in the royal graveyard.

It was a hard day for everyone. Dia was still blank and lifeless. Leah kept blaming herself. Rina couldn't stop crying. But, they weren't the only ones who were affected. Everyone else shared in their sorrow.

The burial lasted a long time. But, even after the ceremony, most didn't leave the site. Mari stayed by Dia's side, trying her best to comfort her. Ruby was hugging Leah tightly, trying to convince her it wasn't her fault. Karin was letting Rina cry on her shoulder.

Emma was also sad. Ayumu had been the only one to help her out. It hurt to lose her. Kasumi and Shizuku were trying to cheer her up, but it wasn't working. It was no use for any of them. Today was going to be a sad day no matter what anyone did.

Little did they know that two of the dead were watching them. Ayumu hadn't left Rina's side despite not having any way to communicate with her. Sarah finally had found Leah last night. She too hadn't left her side.

Her and Ayumu were standing off to the side. They both shared sorrowful looks. It was hard for them both. Chika was standing with them as well. She hadn't told anyone they were there. She also wasn't able to help Ayumu show herself. No matter what they tried, it just wouldn't work. Sarah, on the other hand, could show herself, but she refused to. She knew if she showed herself, it would make it harder for Leah to move on. She had to stay hidden from her, as much as it pained her to do so.

Kanan had gone inside with Riko. It was a little cold outside and rain was imminent. Nozomi had followed her in. Everyone else remained outside. Setsuna and Ai were talking to each other in hushed whispers. They seemed very adamant that no one hear what they were saying. Hanamaru kept glancing at them, but said nothing about their sudden need to be secretive.

When the rain started, everyone went inside. The maids had done their best to clean up the place, with the help from some others. But, they couldn't erase the smell of blood that well. Or the memories that everyone had. The castle felt dark and gloomy.

Everyone was taken to get something to eat. There, they started discussing things.

"So, what's gonna happen with us?" Karin posed the question.

"You may either join the civilians or you can stay as workers in the castle." Mari decided.

"What kind of jobs would we have?" Kasumi asked.

"Depends. We'd have to test your abilities before deciding that." Mari replied.

"We'll think about it."

**DIVIDER-- **

As night fell, the former rebels decided what they would do. All of them decided they would stay at the castle and work for them. As for Ai and Setsuna, they weren't too sure. What would they be useful for? The kingdom already had a witch. It didn't need two more.

"So, have you decided what you two will be doing?" Hanamaru asked them.

"I don't think we're needed here." Setsuna said.

"You're more than welcome to leave. If you'd instead like to stay, I'm sure we can find things for you guys to do." Hanamaru replied.

"They don't really need more witches here." Setsuna stated.

"You sure about that? Having just me isn't ideal. I'm always so busy." Hanamaru responded.

"I see. We'll think about it."

Setsuna and Ai went to their room. They sat down on the beds. They stared at each other for a bit.

"So… what should we do?" Ai asked.

"Do you think you'd like to stay here? I know you're not one for being around people." Setsuna asked in return.

"I'd be fine remaining here. It's not that bad." Ai replied, "What about you?"

"I suppose I could stay as well." Setsuna said.

"I guess it's decided then."

They waited a while before they went to tell Hanamaru their decision. She was happy to finally have some people to help her out. There was only so much nonwitches could do to help her. She needed people with magic to help out.

**DIVIDER-- **

"I guess it's time for me to take my leave." Nozomi said.

"The army is heading back today?" Mari asked, "In this weather?"

"Yes. They're anxious to get back." Nozomi nodded.

"Well, thank you for your help. I hope you have a safe trip back."

"Thank you. I'm glad I could help." Nozomi smiled and then left the room.

All the aid they had received was slowly going back to where they came from. However, there was one small problem. No knights survived that were sent by the Tempest kingdom.

Hanamaru had already sent them a letter stating that, but they still worried there might be a retaliation of some sorts. The Tempest kingdom hadn't wanted to even join the war and now all those sent were dead. How would the queens react?

**DIVIDER-- **

"Dia, can I come in?"

"Go away!"

"Will you please stop this? You can't hide away forever."

"Leave me alone!"

Kanan sighed. She had been asked to go check on Dia since Mari was handling all the restoration efforts. Kanan knew Dia wasn't in the best mood, but she still thought that she would at least let her in the room.

"I'm coming in." Kanan stated.

She opened the door. Dia was sitting on her bed, staring blankly at nothing. Kanan sighed and walked over to her. Dia didn't acknowledge her.

"Hey, I brought Riko. You wanna hold her?" Kanan tried to get her to at least notice her.

Dia glanced at her. She didn't seem very interested in her offer. Kanan was going to sit down, when Dia hesitantly held out her arms. Kanan carefully handed Riko over to her. Dia stared at her.

She pulled her close. Kanan smiled a little bit as she sat down on the bed. Dia smiled as she rocked Riko. Kanan was glad that something had worked. She knew Mari had said it might be a bad idea, but she decided she'd try anyway.

It seemed as though it had actually been a good idea. Dia seemed a bit happier. She was smiling as she held Riko.

"Dia? Are you up to giving a speech? We have to tell the citizens we won." Kanan asked, "You're technically the ruler of this area, so you should do it. But, if you don't want to, that's fine too."

"I'll do it." Dia said.

"Okay. We were thinking tomorrow. Gives us some time to get everything back in order." Kanan replied.

"That's fine…"

"So… how are you doing?" Kanan didn't know what to say to continue their conversation.

"I think you know." Dia replied.

"I know it's tough, but… you really need to try and move on. You can't just dwell on it forever." Kanan said.

"I failed… everyone had been right… I'm not fit to be a mother…" Dia mumbled.

"Dia… you could've saved her, but you didn't. I know that must hurt. To know you could've done it. But, you know why you did what you did. I can't really help you with that one." Kanan said.

Dia said nothing in reply. She didn't care to tell Kanan her reasoning. It didn't matter anymore. It was over. She had to move on. She knew that very well. It was still hard, though.

"You know, I'm sure she'll be taken care of. Yohane is there for her." Kanan said, "It'll be alright."

"Kanan… have we gotten any word from the Tempest kingdom?" Dia asked.

She knew if they retaliated, it was over. They wouldn't be able to handle another fight. Hopefully they wouldn't be that mad about it. Or, they'd turn on the Morning kingdom for convincing them to do so. No one wanted to wish ill on them, but that was the better option.

"As of now, no. They haven't sent anything." Kanan replied.

"How about the Snow kingdom?" Dia questioned.

"They've sent a demand for some money to make up for it. Leah's been trying to talk them out of it, though." Kanan explained.

"Leah is next in line, isn't she? How is she feeling about that?" Dia wondered.

"Not too good. She isn't confident she has the ability."

"She has time. I'm sure she can learn." Dia said.

"Let's hope so. I'd hope no unfortunate events would happen to them." Kanan nodded.

**DIVIDER-- **

A few days had passed. The castle was slowly recovering. The citizens were more trusting of them all now that the rebels had been dealt with. They were getting their staff back up in numbers, but it was a slow process.

The Tempest kingdom had sent their message. They wished to meet and discuss the event. No one knew what they'd discuss, but they were glad it was not a war they walked into. Everyone hoped the meeting would simply be about what they wanted as reparations for their support.

Leah was told she needed to come home. She wasn't ready to leave yet, though. She'd be all alone if she went back. Leah wanted someone by her side who understood her. She knew no one would give her much sympathy once she returned home.

Ruby asked to talk to her about that. She had an idea on how to help Leah. All that was left was getting Leah to agree to it. Well, and hoping Dia wouldn't mind the decision.

"Hey." Ruby smiled as Leah entered her room, "You made it."

"Sorry. Got stuck talking to someone for a bit." Leah apologized as she came in and sat down beside Ruby on the bed.

"It's okay." Ruby assured her.

"So… what exactly do you want to talk about?" Leah questioned.

"Well, I have a proposal." Ruby stated.

"And that is?"

"I'm going with you."

"Eh?" Leah stared at her in a mix of shock and confusion.

"You need someone and… we're dating, so I thought that wouldn't be too bad." Ruby explained, "I could help."

"Is Dia okay with this?"

"I haven't asked. But I won't take no for an answer." Ruby stated, "If it'll help you, I'll gladly come with you."

Leah thought it over for a while. She did want someone who understood her. Ruby definitely did. And they were dating. That would help their relationship if they were close by. But, Ruby would be leaving everyone here. Would they take it well?

"If you're sure it'll be okay… then yeah… I'd like if you'd come with me…" Leah mumbled.

"Okay! I'll tell onee-chan then." Ruby smiled.

They talked for a while longer. It had been a bit since they were alone by themselves. After an hour, Leah left as she needed to do something. Ruby decided it was time to tell Dia what she was going to do.

Ruby went to Dia's room and knocked on the door. She waited until Dia called her in and then entered. Dia was sitting on her bed. She wasn't confined to her bed or anything, she just stayed in her room most of the day.

"What do you need?" Dia asked.

"I… I have something to tell you." Ruby stated.

Dia raised an eyebrow at her. She wasn't ever this straightforward before.

"I… I'm going with Leah." Ruby said.

"Ruby-"

"I'm going. No one is telling me otherwise." Ruby cut her off, "She needs me, onee-chan."

"Are you sure about this? You'll be far away from all of us." Dia questioned, "You'll be with unfamiliar people."

"I know. I have Leah. I'll manage." Ruby nodded. She was determined to do this.

"Very well. You can always come back if you change your mind." Dia said, "Do you know when she plans to leave?"

"No. Not yet. I guess soon, though." Ruby said.

"I'd like her out before the Tempest kingdom arrives." Dia said, "She doesn't need to get caught up in this part of the mess."

"Okay. I'll let her know and we'll see when we want to leave." Ruby nodded.

"Alright."

**DIVIDER-- **

Kanan was not doing well as a mother. She tried, but it was hard. She had no clue what to do. It was a lot more awkward knowing she was literally caring for Riko. Even more so that Riko knew everything. Hanamaru confirmed she most likely was aware ever since she opened her eyes. She wouldn't be able to speak until her body was old enough for that, though.

Mari did her best to help out. Riko was definitely a lot easier to handle than Rika had been. She didn't cry often, only when she desperately needed something. That just further clarified that Riko was aware. She seemed to be trying not to bother anyone unless necessary.

Riko was the happiest around Dia. That was expected. Dia was warming up to Riko again. She hadn't wanted to have too much to do with her at first, but she started taking Riko a bit more. She claimed it was so Kanan could have a break, but everyone knew she just wanted to be around Riko again.

Everyone was impatient. They wanted her to be old enough to talk. To be old enough to walk. It would be so much easier. But, that was going to be quite some time away. They had to wait for that day to come. For now, she had barely any means of communicating. It wasn't too bad, though. They could manage it.

Kanan was hanging out with Yō while taking care of Riko. Yō was cautious around her, knowing Riko sometimes still was jumpy with her. Riko always brightened up at the sight of Yō, though. It seemed her fear had gone away. Yō happily played with Riko. She loved playing peekaboo with her.

"So, the Tempest kingdom will be coming soon…" Kanan sighed.

"Maru said one of the Queens was coming herself." Yō said, "This should be interesting."

"I hope this meeting goes well." Kanan stated, "I'd like to not have to deal with an angry kingdom if we could."

"Yeah…" Yō agreed.

They still weren't fully recovered. If anything went wrong at this meeting, they could be in for it. If the Tempest kingdom got fed up, they'd be no match for them. They had to play their cards very carefully in order to appease them. Hopefully that wouldn't be too difficult to do.

**DIVIDER-- **

Hanamaru was overwhelmed with work. There was so much to do. She was grateful that Ai and Setsuna had decided to stay with her. They lessened the workload she had.

They had to tend to the injured. The nurses they had were overworked themselves. They couldn't handle all the injured alone. It wasn't only staff of the castle that had been injured by the fight. Some civilians also needed medical care.

Hanamaru was healing people with potions. The potions took ages to make. Ai and Setsuna offered to help her by making regular medicine. Hanamaru also was doing that before. She was too overwhelmed by it all and had actually collapsed from exhaustion before.

Hanamaru was told to take it easy. She couldn't. Not with the amount of work that needed to be done. That was when Ai and Setsuna had offered to help. It wasn't like they had anything better to do. They were just lazing about the castle with the others. Most of the cleaning was done, so they had nothing to do.

They weren't complaining, though. It was good that they had sorted out everything. It was better to have nothing to do than too much to do, after all.


	43. The Meeting

Two weeks had passed. The Tempest kingdom was meant to arrive any day. Leah and Ruby were going to be leaving soon. Dia made it very clear that Leah was not to be around when they arrived. They planned to leave when morning came.

Dia had expected Ruby to back out at some point. Ruby didn't, though. She remained determined with her stance. She was going with Leah no matter what. Dia praised her for finally becoming independent. Ruby truly was growing up.

Morning soon came and it was time for the two girls to depart. Dia and Mari were there to see them off. Ruby hugged Dia tightly. She was really going to miss her. She rarely was away from her.

"Good luck, you two. Stay safe." Mari said.

"Yes. Stay safe." Dia nodded.

They had arranged for a few knights to escort them to the castle. They couldn't let them go alone. That was far too dangerous. And, they couldn't wait for the Snow kingdom to send escorts. That would take way too long. They had to leave soon.

"I'm gonna miss you…" Ruby said.

"I know. I'll miss you too." Dia said as she kissed Ruby on the head.

"Thanks for everything you did…" Leah mumbled.

"And thank you for your help." Mari replied.

"Shall we go?" Ruby asked as she walked back over to Leah.

"Yeah." Leah nodded.

They waved goodbye to the two queens and climbed into the carriage they would be taking. A few minutes later, they were off.

"Want a hug?" Mari asked.

Dia nodded. She hugged Mari as tears silently fell down her face. It was hard to let go of Ruby. She had always been right by her side. But, Ruby was growing up. She couldn't baby her forever. Ruby was finally becoming her own person.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Ruby has grown up a lot since this whole mess started. I think she can handle herself." Mari said.

"I know… but I wish it hadn't happened yet…"

"She's 16, Dia. She's not a child anymore." Mari reminded her.

Dia pulled away, "She'll always be my baby sister no matter how old she is."

"Maybe so, but she isn't a baby anymore." Mari smiled, "Shall we head inside for breakfast?"

"Sure."

**DIVIDER-- **

A few hours later, they received word that the Tempest kingdom had arrived. Dia and Mari were in charge of the meeting. Kanan was busy with Riko. She couldn't join them.

The doors to the meeting room opened. Umi stepped inside. She was accompanied by her advisor and a knight from her kingdom. Hanamaru had been asked to sit in as their advisor. It was only for the sake of formalities.

"Welcome, Queen Umi." Dia greeted her, "Did your trip go well?"

"It was alright. Few mishaps from the road, but that was all." Umi replied as she took a seat.

"Those roads haven't been maintained in a long time." Dia said, "No wonder they are falling apart."

"I'd like to cut to the chase here." Umi stated, "All the knights we sent died?"

"Unfortunately, we believe so." Dia nodded, "We aren't sure exactly how many knights you had, but all the ones we found were dead. We cannot confirm if any deserted us, unfortunately."

"As you know, I did not wish to aid you." Umi stated, "So this is very disappointing."

"I understand. We thank you for assisting us, though. It means a lot." Dia bowed her head slightly.

"How have you been doing with restoring the castle?" Umi questioned.

"We've managed to fix up most of it. There are still a few things here and there. The wounded are still being treated." Dia replied.

"I heard Princess Sarah was killed in battle." Umi said.

Mari lowered her head, "Unfortunately. She died defending her sister."

"And where is Princess Leah?"

"She is on her way home as we speak. She departed this morning." Mari said.

"I see. A princess getting involved in a war like that isn't an acceptable thing to most." Umi nodded, "But, I can not blame you with what your situation was."

"We buried her here. I haven't heard from her family about how they feel with that." Dia said.

"As long as she was buried beside royalty, I don't see why they would have a problem." Umi said.

"Do you want anything from us?" Mari asked, "As payment for their lives?"

"No. You need all that you can get. I wanted to see the aftermath myself." Umi shook her head, "We will remain for a night and head back in the morning."

"You are welcome to stay longer, if you'd like. You only just got here, after all." Dia invited.

"That won't be necessary. We meant for this to be brief." Umi declined.

"If that is what you wish. Would you like to rest?" Dia asked.

"I am fine." Umi shook her head, "I would like a tour of your castle, if that wouldn't be a bother."

"Not at all. I can show you around." Mari offered.

"Thank you." Umi replied.

They all stood up. Mari led Umi off into the castle. Dia sighed as she looked at Hanamaru.

"Well, at least she didn't ask for anything." Hanamaru said.

"Yes, but I feel there is more to her." Dia replied.

"I can send Chika to spy." Hanamaru offered, "If you're that worried."

"That would be nice. I'm going to check on Kanan and then I'll probably rest." Dia nodded and then left the room.

**DIVIDER-- **

The next time they met up was for dinner. It was a bit awkward. They weren't used to dealing with foreign rulers. Umi didn't seem very fond of their arrangement. They allowed the ex-rebels to eat at the same table as them, even if they weren't royalty.

"Where is your sister?" Umi asked Dia.

"She decided to go with Princess Leah to help her out." Dia replied.

"I see." Umi didn't ask anything more of the topic.

Chika had spied on her the entire tour. Even when Umi was left alone, she spied. Chika didn't learn anything from her. She couldn't see any ill intent from her at all. Dia still was a bit wary of her. She made sure to hide that fact, though. It wouldn't be good if she came off as suspicious to Umi.

"Did you enjoy the tour of our castle?" Dia asked.

"It was nice. You have a very nice palace." Umi nodded.

"Thank you."

"I have one thing I'd like to know." Umi said.

"What would that be?" Dia questioned.

"You decided to use potions to have children instead of doing it the proper way?" Umi asked.

"Yes, we have." Mari nodded, "I understand most kingdoms are not welcoming of that idea, but we see no problem with it here."

"I am very opposed to the idea myself." Umi said, "However, I cannot stop others from doing as they please. I just hope you know how dangerous it can be."

"We were made well aware of that. Maybe not when we should have been, but we were told later the consequences." Dia replied.

"I do not wish to sound rude, but this seating arrangement is not very ordinary for a kingdom." Umi said as calmly as she could.

"I understand. It just happens we do not have the means to have a separate room for everyone yet. We are still repairing some areas around this." Mari explained.

"I see. It is not completely unheard of, so I do not see any harm in it." Umi shrugged.

They soon finished the meal. Umi went to the room she was provided to rest. They were planning to leave early the next morning.

"She seems very cocky." Hanamaru commented once all of those with Umi were out of the room.

"Yeah. Keeps criticizing everything we do here. Who does she think she is?" Kanan grumbled.

"You can't necessarily blame her. She has more experience than us. It's not a surprise she is being picky about our ways." Mari pointed out.

Dia sighed, "Well, at least all of this went well."

"Yeah. That's good." Everyone agreed.

"So, they should leave tomorrow and everything shall be good."

**DIVIDER--**

When morning came, they prepared to depart. Dia and Mari were there to see them off again. Hanamaru and Yō were hidden off to the side and watching.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I hope you soon recover from this event." Umi said as she climbed into the carriage.

"It was nothing. Thank you for your time. Have a safe journey back." Dia replied.

Moments later, they were off. Dia and Mari waited until they were completely out of sight. Hanamaru and Yō came over to them.

"Welp, that's over with!" Yō said happily.

"Yeah. Let's hope she doesn't start any drama. She very well can lie about the meeting and ruin us if she so chooses to." Dia said.

"I don't think she would." Hanamaru replied, "She doesn't seem like that type."

"I hope so." Dia sighed, "Anyway, have you heard any news on Ruby and Leah?"

"No. I assume everything is going well then." Hanamaru shook her head.

"How is Riko doing?" Mari asked.

"She's fine. She definitely seems to know what's going on. Now that she's getting stronger, it's very apparent she isn't normal." Hanamaru said.

"So, she truly remembers everything." Dia whispered.

"It would seem so." Hanamaru nodded.

"Well, let's hope that was a good thing." Mari said.

Only time could tell if that was a good thing. They'd have to wait until Riko got older before they would truly know that answer.


	44. Bad Problem Solving Methods

Ruby and Leah were almost back at the Snow Kingdom. Just another day or two and they would arrive. Both were nervous about that. Hanamaru had alerted the kingdom that Ruby was going to be arriving with Leah. They didn't know how that would be taken, though.

Leah couldn't help but worry they wouldn't approve of Ruby. They had never informed her parents that they had started dating. Leah knew they probably wouldn't like it very much. Her parents wanted a "proper" marriage, as they put it. Leah had witnessed them basically shoving that idea down Sarah's throat.

"Leah?" Ruby grabbed her hand, "You okay?"

"Yeah… just a little nervous." Leah replied, trying to smile at Ruby.

"About what?" Ruby questioned.

Leah sighed, "Well… my parents don't know we're dating and… I don't think they'll approve of it."

Ruby didn't say anything. She squeezed Leah's hand reassuringly. Ruby was confident they could get through whatever they were dealt. They'd find a way to convince her parents that them dating wasn't a bad thing.

"Do you think I can really do this?" Leah whispered, "I don't know much about what to do. Nee-sama was always in charge of most tasks. I… I'm scared I can't live up to her expectations."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Ruby said, "It's okay to struggle a bit. No one should expect you to be perfect at something you've never done before."

Leah rested her head against Ruby's shoulder, "But that's how people treat royalty."

"They do?" Ruby was confused.

Leah nodded, "At least, our kingdom has that expectation. It's all the talk whenever someone in the royal family messes up."

"Oh…" Ruby wasn't sure what she could say to that.

"I'm scared I'll make a fool of myself."

"I'm sure we can get through this. I'll help you as much as I can." Ruby said, "I know how to do some stuff, so maybe that'll help us."

Leah didn't respond. She let out a sigh and buried her face into Ruby's neck. Ruby didn't know what else she could do to help. It was obvious this was really getting to Leah. Though, Ruby wasn't the only one who could tell that.

Sarah hadn't crossed over yet. She was refusing. She didn't want to leave Leah all alone. While she knew it wasn't wise that she showed herself, if it would help Leah, then she'd gladly appear.

Sarah wasn't sure if she should appear now. Would it be a bad idea? The knights with them may hear her, after all. Sarah sighed and resigned herself to having to wait until Leah was alone. Alone did include if Leah was with Ruby. Sarah wouldn't mind appearing before the two of them.

"Leah? Do you want to stop for the night? It's getting pretty dark outside." Ruby asked.

"Sure…" Leah mumbled, not moving from her position.

"You have to let go so I can tell them." Ruby said softly.

Leah sighed and removed herself from Ruby. Ruby glanced her over with concern. Leah gave her a shaky smile. Ruby smiled back. She could see Leah was faking the smile, but didn't want to pressure her to talk right now.

Ruby moved and spoke to the knights driving the carriage. After a few minutes of discussion, they stopped the horses. Everyone settled down with a small fire. One of the knights made some food over the fire and another was boiling water over another fire.

Ruby and Leah were sitting close to each other. They had a blanket around their shoulders. Leah was leaning onto Ruby again. Ruby didn't mind. She grabbed and held one of Leah's hands to try and give her some reassurance.

It wasn't too long after that the food and water was done. They all ate in silence. The knights were quietly discussing who would be taking the watch shifts for the night.

"Ruby… I'm going to bed." Leah said as she set down her bowl of food.

"Aren't you that hungry?" Ruby questioned, "You've only eaten a little bit."

"I don't feel that hungry. I'm just tired." Leah mumbled, "Goodnight."

"Night. I guess I'll be in shortly then." Ruby said.

Leah climbed back into the carriage. Ruby frowned. This behavior had been happening for a while now. Leah never seemed to be hungry. Ruby assumed it was her nerves. She really wished she could find something to convince

Leah to eat more. Nothing she ever tried had worked yet.

Ruby herself didn't feel very hungry anymore, but she ate the entire meal. She knew the knights were growing concerned with Leah as well. She didn't want them to start worrying about her too.

Ruby excused herself to rest. She entered the carriage to find Leah was already asleep. Ruby carefully laid down beside her and pulled the blanket over her. Ruby frowned as she looked Leah over. She looked ill, to put it simply. Her skin was pale and she was definitely losing weight.

Ruby brushed some hair out of Leah's face. Leah grumbled something unintelligible as she swatted at Ruby's hand. Ruby sighed as she closed her eyes. This wasn't fun. Nothing had prepared her for this. How could she help Leah? Ruby opened her eyes and stared at her again.

"Leah…" Ruby shook her awake.

Leah groaned as she opened her eyes, "What…?"

"I'm sorry about waking you, but I really think we need to talk." Ruby said as she sat up.

Leah sighed and sat up as well. She didn't want to talk right now. She just wanted to sleep.

"Leah, you're suffering. Everyone can see it." Ruby stated, "You aren't taking care of yourself at all."

"What's the point?" Leah grumbled, "No one will care."

"I care, Leah… I hate seeing you like this." Ruby frowned.

"Mom and dad won't care. They never did. It was always about Sarah. I was just an extra that never was supposed to happen." Leah mumbled.

"Don't think like that." Ruby hugged her tightly.

"I heard them say I wasn't wanted. That I was an accident. It's not just me thinking these things. It's the truth." Leah stated, her voice wavering.

"It's going to work out, Leah. I promise it will. We'll get through this together, okay?" Ruby smiled softly at her.

Leah shook her head, "It's not ever going to be okay, Ruby."

"Yes, it will. You just need to have faith." Ruby insisted.

"I'll never meet their expectations."

"You will. I'll help you. We're in this together." Ruby promised.

"Can I please just go to bed. I don't want to talk about this anymore." Leah said, though it came out very pleading.

"Okay…" Ruby agreed.

They laid down again. Ruby tried to cuddle with her, but Leah pushed her away. She grabbed herself another blanket and laid down at the wall of the carriage. Ruby frowned. Leah's behavior was concerning her a lot.

"Goodnight?" Ruby said.

"Night." Leah replied, her voice cracking.

Ruby closed her eyes. She wished she could figure out what to do. She needed guidance. She needed help with this. But, she was all alone. No one could give her the advice she needed. No one was around to ask for advice. She had to figure this out on her own. Those thoughts filled Ruby's mind as she drifted off.

Leah stared up at the roof. Tears were forming in her eyes. She hated this. Why did life have to be so cruel to her? Why did Sarah have to die? It should've been her. It should've been her who died that day, not Sarah. Then everything would be better. But, instead she was alive.

Leah glanced over at Ruby. Once she was certain Ruby was asleep, she got up. Leah snuck over to the exit of the carriage. She looked around. She needed to find where the knights were at. She couldn't let them see her.

It took a while before Leah could account for all the knights. She saw an opening where no one was looking and took it. She quickly left the carriage and walked into the forest. She listened for anyone following her, but heard nothing.

Leah sighed as she looked back at the carriage, "I'm sorry, Ruby… I can't do this…"

Leah turned back and ran into the forest. She didn't turn back again.

**DIVIDER-- **

Ruby felt something hit her, jolting her out of her sleep. She sat up in alarm. She looked around. A rock was beside her. She guessed that was what hit her. Ruby looked around to see where it could have come from. She froze when she noticed Leah wasn't in the carriage with her.

Ruby didn't know, but Sarah had been the one to throw the rock. She had debated what to do when Leah ran. Sarah wanted to follow her, but decided it was best to get Ruby aware. Maybe the knights would be able to find her before she was too far gone.

Ruby exited the carriage. She asked if anyone had seen Leah once she confirmed she wasn't outside. No one had. That was when the panic set in. Leah was missing. Ruby knew she had left by herself. That made everything worse. Leah wasn't trying to get back. She was actively trying to get away.

The knights immediately woke the others and the search started. Ruby was told to remain at the carriage, but she refused. She wasn't going to sit back and do nothing. Ruby reasoned Leah would probably only listen to her when they found her. Ruby needed to be there when they did… if they did.

Ruby was with two knights as they scoured the woods for any traces of where Leah had gone. They weren't having a lot of luck. Ruby was on the verge of tears. She blamed herself for not being able to help Leah.

Luck was not on their side. It started pouring down rain. Ruby wanted to keep searching, but was told they should head back until the rain stopped. Leah most likely would have stopped as well. Ruby refused. She needed to find Leah now.

She ran off. The knights gave chase, but lost her. Now both the princesses were gone from their protection. That was not good at all.

Ruby ran through the forest, desperately searching for anything that might lead her to Leah. Tears were streaming down her face as she ran. Ruby was terrified. They were in unclaimed land right now. Anything could happen to them. She had to find Leah now.

Ruby tripped over a tree branch and tumbled to the ground. She yelped in pain. Ruby cried harder.

"Leah…"

Ruby tried to get up, but fell back down. It was muddy and slippery. She couldn't stand back up. Ruby felt someone grab her and pull her to her feet. She turned around, hoping it was

Leah. Instead, she was greeted with Sarah standing there.

Ruby yelped in panic and ended up falling back down on her butt.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry." Sarah offered her a hand.

Ruby hesitantly grabbed it and let Sarah pull her up again. She eyed Sarah up. Ruby still didn't like being with ghosts.

"Why are you here?" Ruby asked.

"To help you, I guess." Sarah replied, "I don't know where she is either."

"So, you'll help me find her?"

"I'll do what I can." Sarah nodded.

"How come you don't know where she is?" Ruby questioned.

"I didn't follow her when she ran off. I'm the one who woke you up." Sarah explained.

"Why didn't you? You could've convinced her to come back!" Ruby yelled.

"I don't think anything will convince her of that. She's made her decision." Sarah said, "She's always talked about running away to live how she wants. I guess that's what she decided to do."

"Well… let's go before she gets hurt!" Ruby demanded.

"You can lead." Sarah said.

Ruby nodded and started running again. Sarah kept pace with her. They searched all over the forest, but had no luck. After two hours, Sarah stopped Ruby.

"What are you doing? We have to keep looking." Ruby asked.

"You're going to collapse if you don't rest." Sarah stated, "Take a break before you do. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's tougher than you think."

Ruby fell to the ground. She started sobbing. Sarah knelt down beside her and hugged her.

"Why did she leave me…? If she would've just told me… I would've gone with her…" Ruby cried.

"Shh… we'll find her, okay? It's going to be fine. We'll find Leah and we'll sort this out." Sarah soothed.

Ruby ended up crying herself to sleep. She was exhausted, after all. Sarah rested her against a tree. She sighed. This was not going to be easy.

**DIVIDER-- **

Leah was still running. She didn't care about the rain. She needed to get away. She needed to put as much distance as she could between them.

Leah eventually found a cave. She took shelter in it. Hopefully she was far enough away that they wouldn't find her. She was in pain. Everything hurt. She was cold as well. The rain was really cold.

Leah felt horrible. She felt dizzy and nauseous. Her head was pounding as well. Everything that could hurt was. Leah groaned as the pain worsened. It didn't take long before she blacked out from it all.

Not caring for herself properly was her downfall. Because she had been weakening from not properly eating and sleeping, her body wasn't able to handle much. Who knew if she'd make it to a town in her state. She might not be able to.


	45. Searching For Leah

Ruby woke up to find the rain had stopped. She winced in pain. Her body was stiff from sleeping in the rain. Ruby looked around. She didn't see Sarah anywhere. Ruby carefully pushed herself to her feet. Moments after, Sarah appeared. Ruby jumped as she did. She never got used to that.

"How are you feeling?" Sarah asked.

"I'm okay." Ruby replied, "Can we get moving?"

Sarah nodded, "Of course."

Ruby led the way. They started their search again. They needed to find Leah. Who knew what might happen if they didn't.

Leah was just waking up. She groaned in pain. Her vision swam as she opened her eyes. She felt absolutely horrible. Every inch of her body ached. Leah knew she needed to move. They'd be out looking by now.

Leah barely got on her feet. She was swaying a lot. Leah started walking. She stumbled a lot. She could barely see straight. She pushed on. She had to keep moving or else they'd find her.

She wasn't doing very well. She was disoriented. She had no clue where she was going. Had she passed this place? Was she walking in circles? Leah had no idea. She just hoped she was getting closer to a town. That was all she needed.

Leah had no clue how long she had been walking for. She still had not found any town yet. That was bad. She really needed to find one soon. But, she had no idea where they even were. Who knew how close the next town even was.

Leah pushed on again. She was in worse pain than before. She gritted her teeth and tried to bear with the pain. Unfortunately, she couldn't and collapsed. She was unconscious.

**DIVIDER-- **

Ruby and Sarah were still searching. They had no idea where they should even be looking. Ruby was frantic. She was getting more worried by the minute. Sarah couldn't say she was any different. She too was worried about Leah.

They stumbled upon the cave Leah had left. Ruby spotted something on the ground. She picked it up. It was a ribbon. It had been tied in Leah's hair.

"We're on the right trail then." Sarah said, "She has to be somewhere nearby."

Ruby nodded with a determined look. They were close. They had to be. Leah couldn't be that far, right? They pushed on, following trampled undergrowth. They hoped that was from Leah.

After who knows how long of walking, they spotted something suspicious.

"The dirt here is all scuffed up. Looks like someone was dragging something here." Ruby said.

Sarah nodded in agreement. They followed the trail. It wasn't long before they came to something, or someone, else.

"L-Leah!"

They ran over to where Leah was laying. Ruby turned her over so she was lying on her back. Ruby listened for breathing. It was faint. That wasn't good.

"We need to get her help." Ruby said.

"I don't know what we can do. The best option is to go back. There aren't any towns around here." Sarah said.

"I… I don't want to have to go back if that's not what she wants…"

"I know, but we have no choice. She'll die if we don't go back." Sarah sighed.

Ruby nodded and picked her up. She struggled, but managed to carry her. They made their way back as fast as they could. Ruby was constantly checking Leah to make sure she was still alive.

It took a long time to get back. Ruby was ready to collapse. Sarah vanished from sight. She couldn't be seen by the knights. That wasn't a wise idea.

Ruby entered the camp. The knights were relieved to see them both back. The nurse immediately started treating Leah. Ruby sat down beside her. She watched with worry as the nurse tried to heal Leah.

"I've done all I can." The nurse said, "Hope she'll wake up. She just needs rest and to eat."

Ruby nodded. Leah was placed in the carriage. Ruby joined her. She soon fell asleep. She was wiped from that adventure. At least Leah was safe. She'd be okay now that they were here.

**DIVIDER-- **

Ruby woke up as she heard a groan. She quickly sat up. Leah was waking up. Ruby smiled as Leah opened her eyes.

"Hey…" Ruby whispered.

"Where am I?" Leah asked in a weak voice.

"Back in the carriage." Ruby replied, "It was the only place I could bring you. There aren't any towns around here."

Leah pushed herself up into a sitting position. She wasn't very happy. Ruby couldn't blame her. Leah didn't want to be back here.

"Here. Eat and drink. You need to get your energy back." Ruby pushed a jug of water and some bread in front of Leah.

Leah didn't move. Ruby frowned. Even now Leah was refusing to care for herself.

"Leah, you need to eat. That's why you blacked out. You have to take care of yourself." Ruby pleaded.

"I'd rather die than go home."

"Leah…" Ruby could only stare in shock.

"I don't want to go home, Ruby. I can't do it. If I can't leave, then I'll just let myself die." Leah stated in a harsh tone.

"Sarah wouldn't want to see you so soon." Ruby said the first thing she could think of to try and convince Leah not to follow that plan.

"What do you know?" Leah shot back.

"I saw her. She came with me to find you." Ruby admitted.

"Nee-sama… is still here? She didn't cross over?" Leah whispered in disbelief.

Ruby nodded, "Yeah. She just can't risk showing herself around the knights."

"Then why didn't she do it at the castle? Why didn't she let me know she was still with me?" Leah was tearing up.

Ruby didn't have an answer. She too was questioning why Sarah waited to show herself. It would have helped Leah a lot to have her around still.

"I don't know, Leah… I'm sorry. But, she probably has a reason. I just don't know what it is." Ruby pulled her into a hug.

Leah started sobbing as she clung to Ruby. Ruby did her best to calm her down. It hurt her to see Leah like that.

They felt something shift in the atmosphere. Leah didn't pay it any mind and just kept crying. Ruby, on the other hand, looked around. Toward the back of the carriage, Sarah was sitting there.

Ruby wasn't sure if she should tell Leah or not. Was that a bad idea? She would give away the fact Sarah was here in her current state.

Sarah carefully moved over to be beside them. She wrapped her arms around Leah from behind. Leah's sobs paused at the feeling. She quickly whipped around. Sarah smiled at her. Leah launched herself into her arms and started crying again.

"Nee-sama…" Leah sniffled, "Why did you hide from me?"

Sarah sighed, "I felt it was best to not show myself. It's hard to explain, but you need to move on."

"B-But…"

"It'll just be harder if I'm still here. You need to let go. I shouldn't really show myself." Sarah said.

"If you haven't crossed over, that means you have to do something here still." Ruby said, "Maybe you need to stay with Leah still?"

Sarah thought about what Ruby said for a while. It did make a bit of sense. She obviously had to do something in order to cross over. Maybe helping Leah was her task that needed to be fulfilled?

"I guess you may be right." Sarah eventually agreed.

"But… what could it be? What could she have to do?" Leah questioned.

Ruby shrugged, "I'm guessing it's either to get you to stay and return home or to help you get out of that."

Leah looked up at Sarah, waiting for her response. Would she force her to stay and be a princess or would she support her in her choice to run away and live a simpler life?

"Leah, I know you don't really want to, but the kingdom needs someone to be next in line. I understand you don't think you can handle it, but I believe you should return." Sarah said, "But… if you won't, I'll do my best to support you as whoever you want to be."

"I can't do it. I'm not going back under any circumstance." Leah started.

"Very well. I'll do my best to help you start a new life, then." Sarah nodded.

She didn't want to fight with Leah over this. Sure, she wanted Leah to go back home, but she couldn't force her to. Especially if she's willing to starve herself to death instead of going back. Sarah had no choice but to go with what Leah wanted.

"How are we going to get away? The knights are going to be guarding right outside the carriage now to make sure you can't do that again." Ruby asked.

"I… I don't know…" Leah frowned.

"I believe it's best you go to the castle." Sarah stated, "You'll hopefully not have many knights around you at all times and there's a town not too far from our own. It's the best bet as of now."

"I guess so…" Leah mumbled.

"I know you don't want to even go there, but you don't have much of a choice now." Sarah said.

Leah didn't reply. She just stared at the floor.

"You should really eat something." Ruby nudged the bread back over to her.

Leah hesitated, before she picked up the bread. She nibbled on it slowly. Ruby was relieved to see her eating something.

"I have to go." Sarah said, "I'll see you again at some point."

With that, she vanished. Ruby moved closer to Leah. Leah glanced at her, before pressing up against her. Ruby smiled as she wrapped an arm around Leah's shoulders.

"I guess I have to get my strength back…" Leah mumbled.

"It's going to take some time for that to happen, but if you start eating and sleeping properly again, it won't be long." Ruby replied.

"I'll do my best… if we're going to be running away, I can't let that happen again."

"Thank you." Ruby kissed her on the cheek.

Leah blushed and quickly looked away. Ruby giggled. Leah was very easy to embarrass.

"I think the knights said about a day of travel will be all it takes until we get to the kingdom." Ruby said, "So… we might be stuck at the castle for a while until you're able to run away."

"I… I'll only stay for a week. After that, I'm leaving no matter what." Leah stated.

"Okay…" Ruby wasn't sure if that was enough time for her to recover. Unfortunately, she knew Leah would leave like she said no matter what she tried to convince her of.

"Am I a coward?"

Ruby didn't know what to say to that. Leah thought of herself as a coward? Was running away from her responsibilities a cowardly act?

"I don't think you are. You're doing what is best for you." Ruby replied after a few minutes of careful thought.

"No one else will see me like that."

"They don't understand you like I do." Ruby responded.

Leah sighed, "I guess they don't."

"Anyway, finish eating, please."

Leah nodded and slowly started picking at the bread again. Ruby sat beside her and waited patiently. That was a common thing she had to do for Leah. She always had to be patient.


	46. Returning Home, but not for Long

A day later, Ruby and Leah arrived at the Snow Kingdom. Leah was having a hard time hiding her displeasure at that fact.

Her and Ruby were led into a room. Leah's parents were there waiting for them. They sat down and waited for them to start speaking.

"Why did you bring her?"

"U-um… we… we're, um… we're dating." Leah stammered. She definitely was not ready for this discussion.

"You can't tell anyone else." Leah's father said, "This is a secret of the castle. You will find a prince to marry for image."

"B-But…" Leah frowned.

"No buts."

Leah didn't reply. She stared down and started playing with her dress. Ruby watched her with worry. She didn't know if she should say anything or if that would worsen things for them.

"Can we leave?" Leah asked.

"Go ahead."

Leah tugged Ruby out of the room. She dragged her all the way to her bedroom. Leah collapsed onto the bed with a groan. Ruby sat down beside her.

"Leah?"

"We're leaving tomorrow."

"B-But… I don't know that you're strong enough." Ruby protested.

"I'm not staying here. We can find a place to stay for a while." Leah stated.

"Leah… I know it's hard, but if you push yourself, you'll just set us back." Ruby replied, "You have to wait. Please?"

"No. Either you come with me or you stay here." Leah was firm in her choice.

Ruby frowned. She doubted Leah would be ready to leave. She'd be too weak to make it out of the town they were in. They needed to get to at least the next town before they could rest.

Ruby looked around the room, hoping to see Sarah. Maybe Sarah could convince her to stay for just a little bit longer. Ruby never saw her, but she felt the answer. It seemed like even Sarah didn't think she could convince her otherwise.

"Why do you have to leave so soon?" Ruby questioned, "Sure, they were a bit mean, but they won't be acting on it for a while, right?"

"That's where you're wrong, Ruby…" Leah mumbled, "They'll probably rush the process now… try to convince me I'm straight…"

"Oh… I see…" Ruby understood now.

"I know I'm not in the best shape to be traveling that far, but I can't stay here any longer. I don't want to be a princess…"

Leah had tears forming in her eyes.

"Do you want to go back? Live with everyone else again?"

"My parents will attack if I do that. They'll probably exhaust every option they have to try and bring me back once we leave. It's too risky." Leah sighed.

"Well, I guess we'll be living in the shadows…" Ruby said.

"If… if we change how we look, we could easily blend in." Leah said, "So, once we're out, we should do that."

"Alright. We should rest. It was a long trip." Ruby climbed into the bed.

"Yeah… I guess we should…" Leah agreed.

**DIVIDER-- **

When the next night fell, the two girls prepared to run. They only had a pouch of money and some old worn out clothes. They couldn't bring much else. They couldn't attract attention.

The money would hopefully get them something until they found a way to make some. The clothes were ones they hoped no one would question. They needed to blend in with the common folk. They couldn't stand out as being rich.

"Are you ready?" Leah asked.

Ruby nodded, "Yeah. Let's go."

They quietly snuck out of their room. They crept down the halls, looking for any knights stationed around. They made it to the kitchen with no problem.

"There's a back door here." Leah whispered as they entered the kitchen.

They walked over to the door and opened it. They walked out. Now, which way did they need to head?

"I think we should go to the town. It'll help get our bearings." Ruby said, "We just have to be careful."

"Yeah. Let's do that." Leah agreed.

They watched their steps. They didn't want to make any sudden noise. Who knows who might be listening? There could be robbers out. They could easily become targets and get killed. This was a dangerous ordeal to go through.

Thankfully, they arrived at the town with no problems. They looked around for a sign post to indicate where they were at. It took a while of searching around the town, but they came to one.

"Lucky. It has the direction of the next town." Leah smiled, "Let's get to the woods and start walking."

"Alright." Ruby was still worried about how Lena would hold up.

Leah seemed to be doing fine, but she couldn't help but worry. What were they going to do if either of them got hurt? It would be over for them. They'd get caught.

They made their way back to the forest. After a moment, they found the right direction and set off. They would be walking for a long time.

"Man.. I wish we could've packed some food and water…" Leah sighed.

"Yeah… once the sun rises, we could probably get some." Ruby offered.

"If we can disguise ourselves enough."

"We'll need to find a way to dye our hair." Ruby said.

"Good luck with that." Leah scoffed.

"Either that or you cake it in mud." Ruby replied smugly.

Leah groaned, "Fine… you better know what you're doing."

"I do." Ruby smiled.

They walked on in silence for a while. It was a strange feeling. They were free from the tasks of royalty. They could be their own person now. It was a weird sense of relief to have.

"Ruby… I'm glad we got to meet." Leah said.

"I'm glad too." Ruby replied, "I don't know what I'd be doing if I hadn't met you."

"Are you really willing to do this with me? It's going to be hard…"

"I'll go wherever you go. We can do this together."

"Together…"

**DIVIDER-- **

"Hey… Dia? Um… we need to talk." Hanamaru nervously called.

She was standing outside Dia's room. She had to deliver some news to her.

"Come in." Dia replied.

Hanamaru opened the door. She walked over to where Dia was at. Dia was at her desk writing something.

"What do you need?" Dia asked.

"Well… it appears that… Ruby and Leah have run away." Hanamaru wasn't sure how to deliver the message, "Leah doesn't wish to be a princess and Ruby obviously is going to follow her."

"When did they do this?" Dia stopped what she was doing and gave Hanamaru her full attention.

"Last night. Sarah actually was the one who told me. She visited me." Hanamaru answered.

"So… they've gone to live amongst the common folk…" Dia mumbled, "I... I don't know how to react to this…"

"Sarah believes her reason for not crossing over is to aid Leah. She will keep watch and help them." Hanamaru tried to give her some reassurance.

"Do you know where they plan to go?" Dia asked.

"As of now, they are just hiding out a town over from the castle. Leah hadn't been caring for herself and is weak. She can't go far as of now. So, they have yet to decide where to remain." Hanamaru replied.

Dia sighed, "I know why they won't come here… so I can only hope they'll find a safe kingdom to live in."

"Sarah will keep us updated for as long as she can." Hanamaru said, "She could deliver some messages for us, if you need."

"When you see her, tell her I just wish them to be safe."

"Alright. I'll make sure to tell her that."

Dia smiled, "Ruby has really grown up, hasn't she?"

Hanamaru nodded, "She has. Sending her and Leah alone to talk to all those kingdoms probably helped a lot."

"I wish she'd come home, but she won't abandon Leah."

"You were the same."

"Yeah… that's why I won't say much to her." Dia nodded, "I know that love will come first. I'd never imagine leaving Riko even in the toughest of times."

"I'm sure you can't wait for the day that Riko can talk." Hanamaru teased.

Dia chuckled, "Yeah. It's still surreal that… she's here…"

"Are you planning to marry her once she's old enough?" Hanamaru asked.

Dia shook her head, "No. The age difference will be too much. I don't wish to start rumors. It will not be an official thing."

"Reasonable."

"You know… ever since meeting Kanan, things have always been hectic… and now, it's calm." Dia walked over to her window.

"Feels good to relax for once." Hanamaru walked over to join her.

"I hope this peace can continue. I don't want anything more to happen. It would be nice to finally be able to rule this kingdom properly." Dia said as she looked up at the sky.

"As do I wish so. All of us deserve this peace." Hanamaru agreed.

"It's hard to believe this all happened." Dia said, "To think it started how it did…"

"Our tale isn't over yet. Who knows what more may come to us down the road."

**The End**


End file.
